LIT3RARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

GIF^T   OK 

Mrs.  SARAH  P.  WALSWORTH. 

Received  October,  1894. 
Accessions  M>J-      Class  No. 


THE 


YOUNG  MAI   ADYISED: 


OB, 


ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  CONFIRMATION*   OF  SOME  OF  THE 
CHIEF  HISTORICAL  FACTS  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


BY   E.    O.   HAVEN,   D.  D., 

PROFESSOR  OF  HISTORY  AND  ENGLISH  LITERATURE  IN  THE  UNIVERSITY 


OF  MICHIGAN. 


tJlTIVBESITT 


PUBLISHED   BY   CARLTOJST  &  PHILLIPS, 

200     MULBERRY-STREET. 
1855. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1865, 

BY  CARLTON  &  PHIELIPS, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District 
of  New-York. 


[UFI7BKSITT] 


EVERY  age  demands  its  own  books — every  age 
of  the  world,  every  age  of  an  individual  man. 
This  book  was  written  for  the  present  age  of  the 
world,  and  for  the  young.  There  are  old  treat- 
ises on  the  Bible  without  number,  of  every  class, 
profound  and  light,  dull  and  even  witty;  but 
very  many  of  them,  from  the  style  both  of  lan- 
guage and  of  thought,  are  not  exactly  fitted'  to 
the  present  time,  and  therefore  are  found  chiefly, 
periodically  dusted,  in  the  libraries  of  antiquari- 
ans and  of  theologians,  who,  for  personal  con- 
viction, do  not  need  them. 

There  is  an  age  of  curiosity  in  man,  an  age  of 
independence  and  buoyancy,  when,  in  the  case 
of  the  religiously-educated,  traditional  faith  is 
weakened,  even  the  good  example  of  a  pious 
parent  is  feeble,  and  childhood's  habits  of  devo- 


4  PBEFAOB. 

tion  loosen  their  grasp ;  and  in  the  case  of  those 
who  unfortunately  have  not  received  an  early 
religious  training,  there  is  an  increased  disincli- 
nation to  admit  the  restraints  of  a  sound  faith  in 
the  Bible. 

Now  if,  just  at  that  time,  a  youth  is  plied  with 
all  the  dangerous  arts  of  scepticism,  if  he  finds 
in  books  and  newspapers,  and  hears  in  lectures 
and  conversation,  a  thousand  aslant  and  insinu- 
ating sneers  against  the  creed  of  the  Christian, 
he  occupies  perhaps  the  most  perilous  position 
in  the  whole  of  life's  pathway:  he  is  near  a 
crisis — a  few  months  may  decide  his  temporal 
and  eternal  destiny. 

Happy  is  he,  if  then  some  kind  and  judicious 
and  strong  friend  stands  ready  to  offer  the  coun- 
sels of  maturity,  sweetened  and  tempered  by 
sympathy !  Happy  he,  if  a  book  falls  in  his  way 
that  shall  give  a  right  direction  to  the  thoughts 
of  his  heart ! 

Now  precisely  such  is  the  condition,  such  the 
demands  of  the  young  in  these  our  times.  It  is 
for  such  that  this  book  is  now  committed  to  the 
press. 

Will  any  young  reader,  who,  perchance,  has 
read  thus  far,  not  yet  throw  aside  the  volume, 
but  "  see  the  preface  through  ?" 


PREFACE.  5 

The  book  consists  of  successive  chapters,  in 
which  the  greatest  leading  facts  of  the  Bible  are 
presented  and  confirmed  by  other  evidence, 
historical  and  philosophical,  with  a  design  to 
show  the  superhuman,  the  divine  origin  of  what 
we  call  "The  Word  of  God."  Not  all  the  facts 
are  thus  treated,  otherwise  this  book  would  have 
been  a  huge  quarto,  or  folio,  or  series  of  folios, 
and  of  course  had  proportionately  few  readers ; 
for,  with  few  exceptions,  it  is  a  fact  that  the 
larger  the  book  the  fewer  the  readers.  The  writer 
has  tried  to  practice  the  art  of  stopping  when  he 
has  finished,  and  of  leaving  something  to  be  said, 
and  more  to  be  thought,  by  posterity.  One  of 
his  greatest  difficulties  has  been,  to  make  the 
book  small  enough. 

The  reader  will  find  here  no  unfair  and  inten- 
tionally sophistical  method  of  reasoning.  It  is 
an  old  maxim,  "All  is  fair  in  war ;"  and  many 
Christian  authors  even  seem  to  write  on  the 
principle  that  "  the  end  justifies  the  means,"  and 
do  not  hesitate  to  advance  what  is  feeble  and 
irrelevant  and  false  to  sustain  a  true  position. 
If  some  writers  do  not  act  on  this  principle,  they 
certainly  are  incapable  of  distinguishing  between 
what  is  feeble  and  what  is  strong;  what  is  true 
as  evidence,  and  what  is  false. 


6  PEEFACE. 

In  this  book  you  will  find  nothing  which  the 
author  does  not  himself  believe ;  and  every  fact 
stated,  and  every  quotation  made,  and  every  au- 
thority referred  to,  is,  according  to  the  author's 
best  information,  strictly  correct. 

The  chapter  upon  Creation  does  not  afford  a 
fair  specimen  of  the  book,  because,  except  in 
reference  to  the  mere  act  of  creation,  the  subject 
does  not  admit  of  the  kind  of  evidence  which  it 
is  the  object  of  the  book  to  adduce. 

With  this  salutation,  the  book  is  before  you. 
If  you  choose  to  admit  it  to  your  home,  your 
parlour,  or  study,  or  work-shop,  or  family  circle, 
remember  it  comes  not  as  a  principal,  but  an 
agent;  its  sole  business  is  to  recommend  an- 
other, even  the  Book  of  books.  Perhaps  it  has 
blunt  honesty,  and  energy,  and  persuasiveness 
enough  about  it,  if  you  treat  it  respectfully, 
to  increase  your  reverence  for  its  Master,  the 
Bible;  if  so,  certainly  the  author  will  have 
nothing  to  regret,  and  the  reader  no  complaint 
to  make. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  CREATION   OF  THE  WORLD  AS  DESCRIBED  BY  MOSES. 

Much  Dogmatism  displayed  upon  this  Subject  —  Has  there  been  a 
Creation  — Opinion  of  the  Greeks  — Of  the  Earlier  Philosophers 

—  Impossible  to  prove  either  the  Negative  or  Affirmative  —  Com- 
mon Arguments  on  both  Sides  —  Abundant  Evidence  that  Man 
was  created  —  Proof  of  his  Late  Origin  —  The  Order  of  Creation  — 
In  this  Book  we  receive  no  Theory  —  Views  of  Modern  Geologists 

—  Views  of  their  Opposers — The  Mosaic  Account  Artless,  and 
Truthful,  and  Credible — Its  Reception  must  depend  upon  the 
other  Scriptures Page  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  DELUGE. 

Probable  Population  of  the  World  at  this  Time  —  Fancy  Pictures  — 
No  Evidence  that  Antediluvian  Families  were  larger  than  Post- 
diluvian —  Reasons  to  believe  that  the  Population  was  small  — 
The  Extent  of  the  Deluge  —  Fancy  Pictures  again  —  God  never 
exhibits  Superfluous  Power — Strictly  Universal  Deluge  not 
necessary  —  Scripture  Statements  —  Why  Animals  were  taken 
into  the  Ark  —  Local  Deluges  not  uncommon,  but  why  this  mi- 
raculous —  Evidence  of  this  great  Event  apart  from  the  Bible  — 
Assyrians  —  Persians — Hindoos — Chinese — Egyptians  — Greeks 

—  South  Sea  Islanders  —  North  American  Indians — Heathen  Wor- 
ship bears  Commemorations  of  it  —  The  Ark  —  Triads  of  Gods  re- 
ferring  to    Sons  of  Noah  —  Evidence   of  Bible    cumulative  — 
Curious  Evidence  that  Man  originated  where  the  Ark  is  said  to 
have  rested  —  No  Objection  to  strict  Universality  of  Deluge,  if 
any  choos«it 31 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  HI. 

EAELT  TRADITIONS  CONFIRMATORY  OF  THE  FIRST  CHAP- 
TERS OF  GENESIS. 

Traditions  founded  upon  Truth  —  Assyrians — Sanchoniathon  —  Be- 
rosus  —  Jatnblichus  —  Views  of  Early  Egyptians  —  Institutes  of 
Menu— Other  Traditions Page  54 


CHAPTER   IV. 
THE  TOWER  OF  BABEL,  AND  THE  CONFUSION  OF  TONGUES. 

Indistinctness  of  Ancient  History  —  The  most  Valuable  Facts  only 
related  in  the  Earliest  History  —  Building  of  Babel  the  only  Event 
recorded  for  a  Thousand  Years  —  Were  all  Men  engaged  in  it. — 
Why  it  was  a  Crime  —  How  it  was  defeated  —  Confirmatory  Evi- 
dence of  the  Fact  —  Ancient  Writers  —  The  Temple  Birs  Nimroud 
still  standing  —  Explanation  of  Confusion  of  Tongues 61 

CHAPTER  V. 

.  THE  COMMON  ORIGIN  OF  MAN. 

The  Doctrine  of  the  Bible  —  Foundation  of  Opposition  to  it  —  Con- 
firmations—  Some  Variety  presupposed — Actual  Differences  su- 
perficial, not  radical  —  In  Essential  Features  all  Races  identical 
— » Present  Variety  may  be  accounted  for  —  Instances  of  Late 
Varieties — Different  Species  cannot  permanently  unite  —  Argu- 
ments drawn  from  Mind — Government  —  Agriculture  —  Lan- 
guage—  Religion  —  Practical  Bearings  of  the  Subject 70 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CALL  OF  ABRAHAM. 

Condition  of  the  World  without  Revelation  —  Instincts  demand  it  — 
Failure  of  Infidel  Schemes  to  benefit  Man  — First  Universal  Re- 
formers—Voltaire's Picture  of  the  World  — The  Watch  without 
a  Mainspring — Antecedent  Probability  of  the  Bible  —  How  it 
should  be  examined  — Man  incompetent  to  criticise  it — Designs 


CONTENTS.  9 

of  God  developed  by  Time  — Nothing  Trivial  in  the  Bible  — 
Occasion  of  the  Call  of  Abraham  —  His  Character  —  Traditional 
Evidence Page  97 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  SODOM  AND  GOMORRAH. 

Character  of  the  Inhabitants  —  Their  Doom  —  Date  of  this  Event  — 
Geological  Confirmations  —  Probable  Nature  of  the  Phenomenon 
—  Exploration  by  Captain  Lynch  —  His  Testimony  —  Lot's  Wife 
— "Why  are  not  Similar  Judgments  now  inflicted.  — Divine  Provi- 
dence involves  a  Great  Plan  —  Must  be  studied  —  Lessons  from 
this  Event  —  Christianity  demands  Action 112 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

BIBLICAL  REFERENCES  TO  EGYPT  CONFIRMED  BY  MODERN 
RESEARCHES. 

Egypt :  Situation,  and  Early  Civilization — Obliteration  of  its  History 
— Monuments  and  Pictorial  Descriptions  recovered — References 
to  it  in  the  Bible  —  Harmony  of  tiie  two  —  Historical  Coinci- 
dences —  Customs  referred  to  in  the  Bible  elucidated  —  Condition 
of  Women  —  Baskets  of  the  Baker  —  Magicians  —  Shaving  — 
Linen  Garment  and  Necklace  —  Ownership  of  Land  —  Embalm- 
ing— Bricks  with  Straw  —  Departure  of  the  Israelites — Various 
Coincidences  —  Historical  Basis  of  the  Bible 132 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EARLY  SCRIPTURE  PROPHECIES,  AND  THEIR  FULFILMENT. 

Prophecy  must  be  Superhuman  —  Origin  of  Prophecy  —  False 
Prophets  naturally  arise  — The  Israelitish  Prophets  widely 
known  —  Testimony  of  Cicero  —  Evidence  of  Early  Prophecies 
not  mentioned  in  the  Bible  —  General  Expectation  of  the  Messiah 
—  Remarkable  Heathen  Prophecy  —  Character  of  Heathen  Oracles 
— Persecution  of  Jewish  Prophets  —  Prophecy  concerning  the 
Arabs  —  Testimony  of  Gibbon  —  Of  Sir  William  Jones  —  Concern- 
ing the  Twelve  Tribes  in  Order 145 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  MIRACLES  OF  THE  EXODUS. 

Great  Plan  of  Jehovah  in  the  Old  Testament  —  Folly  of  the  Notion 
that  Man  was  originally  a  Savage  —  His  True  Condition  —  Tend- 
ency to  Deterioration  —  Religious  by  Nature  —  Evils  of  Idolatry 

—  Necessity  of  Miracles  —  Miracles  of  the  Exodus  necessary  — 
Of  no  Benefit  to  the  Egyptians  —  Why  and  how  did  the  Magicians 
succeed.—  The  Miracles  in  Order  —  Traditions  ............  Page  172 

CHAPTER  XI. 
BEAUTY  AND  SCOPE  OF  THE  LAWS  OF  MOSES. 

The  Israelites  a  Nation  of  Pupils,  and  afterward  Teachers  —  Their 
First  Lesson  is  Holiness  —  Communicated  by  Symbol  —  Washings 

—  Clean  and  Unclean  Beasts  —  The  Decalogue  —  Whence  learned 

—  Sacrifices  —  Types  —  The  Theocracy  —  Originality  and  Object 
of  their  Laws  —  Some  Specific  Enactments  —  Summary  of  the 
Chapter  .......................................................................  193 


THE  GREAT  COMMISSION  AND  HISTORY  OF  THE  ISRAELITES. 

The  Divine  Command  to  destroy  the  Canaanites  —  Reasons  for  it 

—  The  Destruction  not  designed  to  be  Universal  —  Miracles  — 
Standing  still  of  Sun  and  Moon  —  Prodigies  of  Elijah  and  Elisha 

—  Why  so  much  of  the  Bible  is  Historical  —  Number  and  Har- 
mony of  the  Writers  —  Apparent  Contradictions  —  Language  mod- 
ified by  History  —Doctrines  and  History  indissolubly  connected 
—Personal  Application  ...................................................  208 


CHAPTER 

THE  PROPHECIES  OF  MOSES. 

Character  of  these  Prophecies  —  Universal  Attention  was  to  be 
given  to  the  Israelites  —  Testimony  of  Volney  —  Character  of  the 
People  who  should  conquer  them  —  Particulars  of  coming  Sieges- 


CONTENTS.  11 

Destruction  of  Jerusalem,  as  related  by  Josephus  —  Captives  to 
be  carried  into  Egypt  by  Ships  — The  Land  smitten  with  Barren- 
ness—  Its  Ancient  Fertility  —  To  be  scattered  among  all  Nations 
Reflections Page  225 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

BABYLON  AND  NINEVEH. 

Situation  of  Babylon — Its  Magnificence  —  Birs  Nimroud — Other 
Ruins  —  Nebuchadnezzar  —  Condition  when  Jeremiah  lived  — 
His  Predictions — Particularity  of  them  —  Fulfilment  —  Isaiah's 
Predictions  —  Compared  with  Damascus  —  Nineveh  —  Layard's 
Discoveries  —  Hezekiah  —  Solomon  —  Divine  Providence 243 


CHAPTER  XV. 

•      SPECIFIC  PKEDICTIONS  FULFILLED   IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 

Christ  the  great  Subject  of  the  Bible  —  Reasons  for  mingling 
the  Prophecies  relating  to  Christ  with  other  Instruction — The 
Forerunner  —  Time  of  his  coming — Place  of  his  coming  — Man- 
ner of  his  Birth  — His  Humanity  and  Divinity  —  His  Death  —  Mi- 
nuteness of  these  Predictions  —  Sir  William  Jones's  Testimony  — 
Recapitulation  of  Previous  Chapters — Value  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment   258 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PERSONAL  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST. 

The  Jews  subsequent  to  Malachi — John  the  Baptist  —  History  of 
Jesus  fully  related  and  attested  —  The  Evangelists  —  Their  Un- 
affected Simplicity  —  They  never  praise  Christ — Apparent  Con- 
tradictions —  Relate  what  appears  Unfavourable  —  They  are  Mild 
and  .  Dispassionate  —  The  Gospels  unparalleled  —  Christ  was 
Faultless,  though  tried  —  He  exhibited  every  Virtue  —  His  one 
great  Object  to  bless  the  World— Effect  of  obeying  him  — His 
Death  voluntary  —  His  Life  considered  alone  an  Insoluble  Mys- 
tery—  Folly  of  considering  any  Subject  alone  —  The  Bible  as  a 
Whole....  274 


12  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  OPENNESS  OP    THE    FACTS  OF  CHEISTIANITY  ILLUS- 
TRATED BY  THE  LIFE  OF.  ST.  PAUL. 

Paul  before  Festus  and  Agrippa  —  The  Koran,  Shasters,  and  the 
Mormon  Book  —  Contrast  between  them  and  the  Bible  —  Only 
Reward  of  the  Writers  —  No  Pretensions  to  Secrecy  —  Lyttleton's 
Life  of  Paul  —  Comparison  of  the  Apostle  with  Lafayette  — 
Paul's  Conversion  —  Did  he  seek  Fame.  —  Did  he  seek  Posthu- 
mous Glory.  —  Was  he  a  Hypocrite.  —  Was  he  insane.  —  A  Com- 
mon Charge  —  The  Facts  —  This  no  Isolated  Instance  —  Trophies 
of  Christianity  — Its  Triumph  certain Page  289 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

GRAND  PRACTICAL  BENEFITS  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Two  Ways  of  examining  a  Subject,  theoretical  and  practical  — The 
Problem  submitted  to  an  Angel  — Fact  below  Theory,  yet  valua- 
ble —  Influence  of  the  Bible  on  Morality  —  On  Social  Habits  and 
Enjoyments  —  On  Government  and  Laws  —  These  Influences 
silent  — The  Garden  without  Sunlight  — The  Bible  chiefly  valua- 
ble as  teaching  us  how  and  whom  to  worship  —  The  inevitable- 
ness  of  Idolatry  without  the  Bible,  and  why.  —  The  great  Topic 
a  Mediator,  and  the  great  Want  of  Man  a  Mediator  —  Chief  Ad- 
vantages of  the  Bible  unseen  and  indescribable  —  Advantages  of 
a  Written  over  a  Traditional  Revelation ,..  310 


UFI7BESITT 


THE 

YOTJNG  MAN  ADVISED. 


CHAPTEK  L 

THE  CEEATION  OP  THE  WORLD  AS  DESCRIBED  BY  MOSES. 

THE  first  subject  presented  in  the  Bible  is  one 
of  the  most  incomprehensible,  and  consequently 
it  is  one  upon  which  much  has  been  written, 
and  much  dogmatism  exhibited ;  for  on  no  sub- 
jects  are  men  so  presumptuous,  and  intolerant 
toward  difference  of  opinion,  as  upon  those 
which  cannot  be  brought  to  the  test  of  actual 
experience.  Humility  and  a  confession  of  hu- 
man ignorance  are  certainly  graceful  when  con- 
sidering the  subject  of  creation. 

Has  there  ever  been  a  creation  ?  This  is  the 
first  question  answered  in  the  Bible.  Without 
a  revelation  it  would  be  impossible  for  man  to 
prove  either  the  negative  or  affirmative;  yet 


14  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

I  believe  that  the  great  preponderance  of  evi- 
dence, aside  from  revelation,  is  in  favour  of  the 
affirmative  ;  and  as  it  is  the  object  of  this  book 
to  exhibit  the  confirmatory  evidence  of  the  facts 
related  in  the  Bible,  this  chapter  will  present 
the  confirmations,  first,  of  the  fact  of  creation, 
and  then  of  its  order,  as  described  in  the  first 
chapter  of  Genesis. 

By  the  term  creation  is  meant  the  actual 
making  of  a  substance  that  did  not  exist  in  any 
form  before.  This  idea  is  commonly  expressed 
by  the  words  created  out  of  nothing.  The 
power  of  creation  must  have  existed  in  the 
Creator;  whether  or  not  the  substance  of  the 
thing  created  was  in  any  sense  existent  in  him, 
the  Bible  does  not  answer,  and  it  may  not  be 
wise  for  us  to  urge. 

"Was  there  ever  a  creation?  The  Greek 
philosophers  replied,  generally,  No.  Their 
views,  discordant  as  they  were  upon  other  par- 
ticulars, were  unanimous  upon  this.  They  uni- 
versally received  the  thought  expressed  by  the 
Latin  maxim,  "ex  nihilo  nihil  fit,"*  as  an 
axiom.  While,  however,  their  views  harmo- 
nized upon  this  general  principle,  their  opinions 

0  Out  of  nothing,  nothing  comes ;  or  no  thing  can  be  made 
out  of  nothing. 


CREATION    OF    THE    WORLD.  15 

upon  the  organization  of  the  world  were  very 
various.  Some  fancied  that  the  world,  as  a 
system,  in  its  present  state,  had  no  beginning ; 
but  nearly  all  believed  that,  though  the  sub- 
stance of  matter  was  eternal,  the  world,  as  such, 
had  a  beginning.  The  same  view  has  been 
entertained  by  some  professed  Christians. 

The  various  fancies  of  the  ancient  philoso- 
phers of  Greece  upon  the  origin  of  things,  all 
were  based  upon  the  assumption  of  the  eternity 
of  some  substance,  apart  from  the  Deity.  Thus 
Thales  considered  water  the  primordial  element ; 
Anaximenes,  the  air ;  Pythagoras,  fire  and  har- 
mony ;  Empedocles,  earth,  air,  fire,  and  water ; 
and  the  later  philosophers,  both  Greek  and 
Koman,  did  little  else  than  refine  upon  these 
conceptions.  Earlier  writers  had  far  more 
Scriptural  views,  as  we  shall  soon  show. 

The  conflicting  opinions  of  philosophers  upon 
this  point  demonstrate  one  fact,  namely,  that 
the  human  reason  is  incompetent  to  decide  the 
question.  If  answered  at  all,  it  must  be  by 
revelation.  It  certainly  would  be  absurd  to 
argue  that  creation  is  impossible  to  God.  The 
old  maxim,  "  Out  of  nothing  nothing  comes,"  is 
a  pure  assumption;  and  instead  of  being  a 
primary  truth,  is  merely  a  result  of  defective, 


16  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

inductive  reasoning.  Philosophers  have  never 
seen  matter  created,  therefore  they  conclude  it 
cannot  be  done, — a  most  hasty  conclusion,  since 
it  would  not  be  demanded  but  once,  and  must 
be  entirely  beyond  the  grasp  of  human  observa- 
tion. 

On  the  other  hand,  some  have  attempted  to 
show,  from  reason,  that  matter  cannot  be  eternal. 
The  most  favourite  arguments  upon  this  side  of 
the  question  have  been  as  follows : — 

The  present  material  universe  is  unstable,  and 
bears  within  itself — unless  it  be  continually  sup- 
ported by  a  power  from  without — the  elements 
of  destruction.  Thus  it  has  been  attempted  to 
show  that  the  resistance  of  the  medium  of  light 
alone,  to  the  planets,  must  inevitably  destroy 
the  solar  system.*  Now,  whatever  must  be 
destroyed  cannot  be  eternal. 

The  fallacy  in  this  argument  is,  that  it  does 
not  reach  the  question.  If  it  proves  anything, 
it  is  simply  that  the  solar  system  is  not  eternal, 
but  has  no  bearing  upon  the  existence  of  the 
matter  out  of  which  the  planets  are  made. 

It  has  been  urged,  also,  that  present  mate- 
rial existences  are  compound ;  but  compounds 
presuppose  the  creation  of  elements.  Sharon 

0  Edinburgh  Review,  October,  1831. 


CREATION    OF    THE    WORLD.  17 

Turner  gives  a  homely  illustration  of  this  view  :* 
"The  school-boy  perceives  at  once  that  his  plum- 
cake  cannot  have  been  eternal.  The  plums,  the 
flour,  the  butter,  the  eggs,  and  the  sugar,  of 
which  it  is  composed,  must  have  been  in  some 
other  places  and  states  before  they  were  brought 
together  to  make  the  substance  which  gratifies 
him."  We  grant  this,  but  it  does  not  prove  the 
creation  of  the  materials  of  which  the  cake  was 
made. 

All  physical  and  metaphysical  arguments  to 
prove  either  a  creation  or  the  eternity  of  matter 
are  failures.  There  is  no  other  safe  ground  to 
take  than  this — human  reason  can  throw  no  light 
upon  the  question  of  creation.  It  is  utterly  and 
forever  beyond  the  reach  of  a  finite  mind. 

We  must  examine  the  Bible  to  ascertain 
whether  its  other  teachings,  within  the  reach  of 
human  reason,  are  confirmed;  and  whether  it 
bears  satisfactory  evidence  of  being  the  word  of 
God.  If  so,  what  it  teaches  upon  the  subject  of 
creation  we  are  to  receive  with  docility,  thank- 
ful that  God  has  answered  a  problem  that  our 
reason  could  not  solve. 

But  there  is  satisfactory  evidence  that  man 
was  created.  Indeed  he  must  have  been  created. 

9  Sacred  History  of  the  World. 
2 


18  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

The  idea  of  an  infinite  series  of  generations  with- 
out a  beginning  is  a  simple  absurdity.  It  is 
like  an  attempt  to  support  a  chain  by  itself, 
fastened  only  at  one  end.  Of  an  infinite  series 
of  links,  the  last  link  ~but  one  certainly  had  a 
beginning.  The  next,  or  the  first,  must  either 
have  a  beginning  or  not.  If  it  has,  the  question 
is  answered — there  was  a  creation.  If  the  last 
link  had  no  beginning,  then  it  is  infinitely  long 
—longer  than  all  the  rest  beside,  which  is  an 
absurdity.  There  must  have  been  a  first  man,  or 
a  first  generation  of  men.  Either  they  had  a 
beginning,  or  they  were  eternal,  and  conse- 
quently not  men.  The  terms  eternal  creation 
and  eternal  generation  are  unintelligible  and 
absurd.  The  originator  of  human  existence  was 
God. 

There  is  abundant  evidence  that  the  race  of 
men  has  not  existed  more  than  the  period  al- 
lotted to  them  in  the  Bible, — not  far  from  six 
thousand  years.  The  evidence  of  this  is  as  satis- 
factory as  of  the  facts,  that  the  Declaration  of  the 
Independence  of  the  United  States  was  adopted 
July  4th,  1776 ;  that  Alfred  was  king  of  England 
in  the  ninth  century  of  our  Lord ;  that  Socrates 
taught  philosophy  in  ancient  Greece ;  that  Baby- 
lon was  a  populous  city  three  thousand  years 


CREATION    OF    THE    WORLD.  19 

ago;  and  that  Egypt  was  a  flourishing  nation 
two  thousand  years  before  Christ. 

Indeed,  the  evidence  of  all  these  assertions  is 
precisely  of  the  same  nature, — historical  testi* 
mony  confirmed  by  existing  facts,  and  not  to  be 
denied  without  absurdities ;  showing  in  him  who 
persists  in  a  denial  a  weakness  of  reason  and 
in  competency  of  judgment,  which  must  be  pro- 
nounced either  stupidity  or  insanity.* 

There  is  no  authentic  history  of  man,  extend- 
ing more  than  about  three  thousand  years  before 
Christ,  except  what  is  found  in  the  Bible ;  and 
the  scanty  records  of  that  early  age  show  that 
then  the  human  family  was  young  and  few,  all 
of  which  confirms  the  Scriptural  account  of  the 
creation.  Indeed,  that  the  human  family  had  a 
beginning,  and  that,  too,  when  and  where  the 
Bible  places  it,  we  believe  confirmed  by  as  satis- 
factory historical  evidence  as  any  reasonable 
person  could  demand.  This  point  will  recur  in 
an  examination  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Deluge. 

0  We  would  here  remark,  that  in  these  pages  the  chronology 
of  the  Septuagiut  is  received  as  the  most  reasonable  and  cor- 
rect. Satisfactory  reasons  for  this  may  be  found  in  Smith's 
Patriarchal  Age,  and  in  the  works  of  all  historians  who  have 
accurately  investigated  the  early  history  of  Assyria,  India, 
Egypt,  and  China.  This  system  of  chronology  alone  intro- 
duces harmony,  where,  according  to  Usher's  computations, 
all  is  confusion,  and  discord,  and  even  absurdity. 


20  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

But  while  it  may  be  considered  a  moral 
demonstration  that  the  race  of  man  began  its 
existence  at  the  date  designated  by  the  Bible, 
yet  no  Scriptural  subject  has  been  more  severely 
criticised  and  warmly  opposed  than  the  order 
of  creation,  as  described  in  the  first  chapter  of 
Genesis.  Volumes  have  been  written  upon  it; 
philology,  natural  science,  metaphysics,  and  the 
imagination  have  been  tasked  to  their  utmost 
capability  to  solve  the  riddle,  and  to  show  just 
how  the  world  was  created,  and  just  how  the 
order,  as  described  in  Genesis,  can  be  made  to 
correspond  with  the  traces  of  its  own  creation, 
supposed  to  exist  in  the  earth  itself  and  its 
inhabitants. 

Now,  manifestly,  it  would  not  accord  with 
the  plan  of  this  book  to  adopt  any  one  of  the 
numerous  recondite  theories  which  Biblical 
geologists  have  invented  to  solve  this  mystery. 
"We  do  not  propose  to  write  a  commentary  on 
the  whole  Bible,  but  only  to  select  those  grand 
incidents  recorded  in  the  sacred  Scriptures 
which  cure  strikingly  confirmed  by  parallel  his- 
tory and  by  philosophy,  and  to  present  those 
confirmations.  If  there  be  mysteries  yet  un- 
solved, or  facts  related  which  never  can  be 
verified  except  by  the  general  truthfulness  of 


CREATION    OF    THE    WORLD.  21 

the  whole,  we  ought  to  be  willing  to  acknowl- 
edge it.  We  therefore  boldly  assume  this  posi- 
tion in  the  outset, — that  if  the  first  chapter  of 
Genesis  is  an  insoluble  enigma,  if  indeed  the  ap 
pearances  of  the  earth's  texture  cannot  be  made 
by  human  ingenuity  to  harmonize  with  it,  or 
that  to  harmonize  with  the  appearances ;  still,  so 
strikingly  is  the  Bible  m  general  confirmed  'by 
history,  by  testimony,  by  its  adaptation  to  man, 
and  by  its  effects,  that  it  demands  the  assent  of 
every  rational  man,  and  must  and  will  have  it 
in  spite,  of  that  and  even  other  enigmas. 

Men  seem  to  forget  that  the  creation  of  the 
world  has  occurred  but  once  j  that  it  cannot  be 
tested  by  human  observation ;  that  we  have  but 
one  account  of  it  purporting  to  be  revealed  from 
heaven,  and  that  exceedingly  brief,  written  in  a 
language  long  since  given  up  as  a  spoken  lan- 
guage ;  and  that  all  men  ought  to  be  willing  to 
acknowledge  their  great  liability  to  error,  when 
they  attempt  to  fill  out  from  human  fancy  the 
brief  outline  thus  presented.  That  outline  is, 
however,' amply  sufficient  to  accomplish  the  pur- 
pose for  which  it  was  given, — to  show  that  the 
LORD  GOD  created  the  universe,  and  is  the  SU- 
PREME ONE  worthy  of  the  homage  of  all  man- 
kind. 


22  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Indeed,  we  would  not  write  a  line  upon  this 
subject,  did  we  not  fear  that  some  might  suppose 
that  we  deemed  the  Scriptural  account  utterly 
indefensible  if  we  passed  it  by  in  silence ;  since 
it  is  not  our  object  to  theorize,  but  to  present 
acknowledged  facts. 

It  is  asserted  by  geologists  that  the  earth 
bears  in  itself  indisputable  evidence  of  an  an- 
tiquity utterly  incalculable,  and  far  more  than 
ten  thousand  or  than  ten  million  of  years.  This 
many  profound  believers  in  the  inspiration  of 
Moses  also  believe;  and,  moreover,  assert  that 
there  is  no  want  of  harmony  between  that  view 
and  the  historical  account  given  in  the  first  chap- 
ter of  Genesis.  These  commentators  may  be 
divided  into  three  classes. 

The  first  class  affirm  that  between  the  time 
specified  in  the  first  verse,  "In  the  beginning 
God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,"  and  the 
time  specified  in  the  second  verse,  subsequently 
termed  the  jurat  day,  an  indefinite  period 
elapsed,  during  which  the  earth  underwent  all 
those  changes  traced  out  by  geologists.  This 
class  believe  that  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis, 
subsequent  to  the  first  verse,  describes  not  a 
primitive  creation,  but  only  a  new  creation,  or 
a  special  arrangement  of  the  long  previously 


OKEATION    OF    THE    WOKLD.  23 

created,  earth,  for  the  especial  accommodation 
of  man. 

The  second  class  of  commentators,  allowing 
the  indefinite  antiquity  of  the  earth,  maintain 
that  the  term  translated  "  day,"  throughout  this 
chapter,  means  an  undetermined  period  of  time ; 
and  that  "  evening  and  morning"  simply  denote 
the  beginning  and  close  of  this  long  period. 
Profound  philological  arguments  have  been 
adduced,  and  numerous  parallel  instances  of 
such  a  use  of  language,  to  confirm  this  hypothesis. 
And  it  has  been  shown  that  some  Jewish  and 
Christian  commentators  entertained  this  view 
before  any  geological  theories  were  invented. 

The  third  class  of  these  commentators  adopt 
both  of  the  above  views,  and  thus  arrive  at  the 
same  practical  result. 

It  is  not  becoming  in  any  man,  at  least  with- 
out equal  scientific  attainments  and  research, 
to  pronounce  those  views  altogether  fanciful  or 
absurd,  entertained  as  they  have  been  by  some 
of  the  ripest  scholars,  and  most  intelligent  men, 
and  most  faithful  Christians,  in  this  or  any  other 
age.  And  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  these 
geologists  claim  to  have  ascertained,  according 
to  their  own  theories,  that  ma/n  cannot  have 
been  on  the  earth  longer  than  the  Bible  allows, 


v 

TJHJ7BS 


THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

and  that  their  researches  do  in  this  respect 
perfectly  harmonize  with  the  Scriptural  his- 
tory.* 

There  are,  however,  commentators  who  adhere 
rigidly  to  the  most  literal  construction  of  the 
language  of  this  chapter,  according  to  its  ordi- 
nary and  popular  signification.  These  com- 
mentators may  be  divided  into  two  classes. 

Class  first  are  those  who  utterly  pass  by  and 
contemn  all  geological  theory  and  study  what- 
ever, not  allowing  it  even  a  place  in  the  contro- 
versy. Happily  this  class  is  small,  and  daily 
becoming  smaller,  if  not  in  numbers,  at  least 
in  influence.  Truth  is  one,  and  can  never  con- 
tradict itself.  We  view  truth  in  fragments; 
if  they  do  not  coincide,  let  us  not  throw  away 
the  smallest  portion,  but  seek  the  connecting 
parts. 

The  second  class  are  those  who  profess  to  ex- 
amine patiently  and  thoroughly  all  the  facts  and 
teachings  of  geology ;  and  yet  insist  that  time 
enough  has  elapsed  since  the  Mosaic  date  of 
creation,  according  to  the  literal  sense  of  the 
language,  for  all  the  phenomena,  evidence  of 
which  is  found  in  the  texture  of  the  surface- 

°This  is  disputed  by  some,  but  on  very  unsatisfactory 
evidence. 


CREATION     OF    THE    WOELD.  25 

strata  of  the  globe.  This  class  acknowledge  all 
the  facts  of  geology,  not  blinking  one  of  them, 
and  profess  to  believe  that  the  theories  of  modern 
geologists  are  untenable  and  hypothetical,  and 
mutually  contradictory,  and  even  uncalled-for; 
and  that  geologists  have  in  fact  made  the  mis- 
take, common  among  the  ancient  philosophers, 
of  constructing  theories  too  rashly,  and  without 
due  deference  to  a  general  survey  of  facts; 
while  it  is  the  part  of  a  true  philosophy  to  gather 
facts  first,  and  at  least  partially  hold  the  mind 
in  suspense  till  the  observations  have  become 
mature  and  abundant.  Many,  moreover,  main- 
tain that,  according  to  principles  allowed  by  the 
most  eminent  geologists,  all  the  changes  known 
to  have  taken  place  in  the  earth's  substance  may 
have  occurred  as  easily  in  four  thousand  as  in 
four  millions  of  years,  and  that  some  of  the  ob- 
servations seem  to  verify  this  view  rather  than 
the  other. 

!Now  we  have  a  definite  opinion  upon  this 
subject,  but  we  do  not  wish  in  this  volume  to 
express  it.  Sufficient,  we  think,  has  been  written 
to  show  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  first  chapter 
of  Genesis  known  to  be  false.  If  we  do  not  ad- 
duce it  as  confirmed  by  observation  and  history, 
that  does  not  weaken  the  other  conformations* 


26  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

which  we  shall  proceed  to  present.  Certainly 
if  the  great  majority  of  the  facts  affirmed  in 
the  Scriptures  are  attested,  and  the  others  cannot 
be  proved  unreasonable,  it  is  not  too  much  to  ask 
that  they  be  received  upon  the  authority  of  the 
others. 

No  description  of  a  process  of  creation  could 
be  imagined  to  which  the  fertile  fancy  of  man 
could  not  object,  since  observation  could  not 
confirm  it,  and  from  the  nature  of  the  case  it 
must  be  miraculous  and  stand  alone  in  history ; 
and  it  is  only  "  by  faith  "  that  "  we  understand 
that  the  worlds  were  framed  by  the  word  of 
G-od,  so  that  things  which  are  seen  were  not 
made  of  things  which  do  appear." 

One  fact  strikes  our  attention  in  the  examina- 
tion of  this  chapter,  and  it  is  one  often  suggested 
when  reading  the  Bible ;  and  that  is,  the  utter 
recklessness  exhibited  by  the  writers  of  any  at- 
tempt to  make  their  descriptions  command  belief 
by  any  appeal  to  popular  sentiment,  or  to  what 
many  would  call  common  sense.  They  often  use 
expressions  which  show  a  complete  want  of  that 
art  which  a  writer  employs  who  desires  his  repre- 
sentations to  appear  truthful ;  and  it  can  only  be 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  "they  were  under 
the  guidance  of  a  higher  power,  who  compelled 


CREATION    OF    THE    WORLD.  27 

them  to  write  the  truth,  however  unlike  the  truth 
some  of  their  representations  might  appear. 
A  good  illustration  of  this  may  be  seen  in  the 
evangelists,  who  relate  some  of  the  same  facts 
in  their  Four  Gospels  with  such  a  difference  of 
phraseology  and  of  circumstances,  that  they  seem 
at  first  utterly  irreconcilable,  thus  showing  that 
they  made  no  effort  to  make  them  mutually 
consistent.  But  we  find  that  by  bringing  them 
together,  and  supplying  omissions  each  from  the 
other,  they  harmonize,  and  their  very  appearance 
of  contradiction  confirms  the  whole. 

Similar  is  the  effect  of  collating  the  work  of 
the  fourth  day  of  creation  with  that  of  the  pre- 
ceding days.  We  are  informed  that  light  was 
created  on  the  first  day,  and  there  were  three 
successive  evenings,  and  mornings,  and  days, — 
and  then  God  said,  "  Let  there  be  lights  in  the 
firmament  of  the  heaven,  to  divide  the  day  from 
the  night;  and  let  them  be  for  signs  and  for 
seasons,  and  for  days  and  for  years."  And  then 
we  are  told  that  "God  made  two  great  lights, 
the  greater  light  to  rule  the  day,  and  the  lesser 
light  to  rule  the  night."  The  simplest  critic, 
even  a  child,  would  exclaim,  How  is  this  ?  The 
sun  made  after  there  had  been  already  three 
days!  What  caused  the  previous  days  and 


28  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

nights  ?  And  many  a  childish  critic  has  made 
the  narrative  the  butt  of  ridicule.  Upon  this  we 
would  simply  inquire,  Had  not  Moses  common 
sense?  Can  it  be  supposed  that  the  writer  of 
this  sublime  chapter,  if  left  to  himself,  would 
not  have  seen  this  apparent  inconsistency, 
which  the  most  superficial  reader  now  detects  ? 
We  believe  that  Moses  would  not  have  thus 
written  without  a  reason;  and  that  reason, 
we  believe,  was  because  it  was  a  fact.  The 
event  described  as  occurring  on  the  fourth 
day  did  then  occur,  just  as  it  is  written,  though 
perhaps  Moses  at  the  time  did  not  himself  un- 
derstand it. 

The  explanations  suggested  have  been  various, 
according  to  the  exposition  of  the  chapter  adopt- 
ed. Those  who  suppose  that  during  the  six  days 
the  earth  was  not  created,  but  reconstructed  and 
fitted  for  the  abode  of  man,  believe  that  on  the 
fourth  day  the  mists  and  darkness  which  had 
previously  enshrouded  the  earth  were  dispelled ; 
and  that  the  command,  "  Let  there  be  light,"  is 
equivalent  to,  Let  the  lights  appear,  and  com- 
mence their  office-work  of  regulating  the  sea- 
sons and  the  years.  But  those  who  adhere  to  the 
literal  interpretation  of  the  language  maintain, 
that  though  the  sun  and  moon  and  the  stars  of  this 


CREATION    OF    THE    WORLD.  29 

great  family*  were  previously  in  existence,  yet 
on  the  fourth  day  the  position  of  the  earth's  axis 
was  adjusted  in  its  present  inclination,  and  the 
proper  motions  given  to  the  .heavenly  bodies  and 
the  earth,  by  which  the  sun  and  moon  were  first 
appointed  for  signs  and  seasons.  This  would, 
indeed,  be  a  work  sublime  enough  to  occupy 
one  of  the  days  of  creation. 

Modern  natural  philosophers  have  observed 
the  correctness  of  the  phraseology  of  Moses  in 
speaking  of  light  as  distinct  from  the  sun.  Light 
was  the  first  thing  created — 

"  Offspring  of  heaven,  first-born  ;w 

but  the  sun  did  not  appear  at  least  till  the  fourth 
day.  For  thousands  of  years  men  believed  that 
the  sun  was  the  great  source  of  light ;  but  it  is 
now  shown  that  light,  and  heat,  and  electricity, 
and  magnetism  are  but  different  movements  in 
a  substance  or  elastic  medium  that  pervades  all 
material  things,  and  perhaps  all  space ;  and  it  is 
by  no  means  unphilosophical  to  speak  of  light 

0  The  revelations  of  the  telescope  prove  that  there  are  sepa- 
rate families  or  systems  of  stars,  mutually  acting  upon  each 
other,  and  connected  together;  and  that  between  these  im- 
mense clusters  of  stars  are  large,  vacant  places  in  space,  in 
which  no  material  existence  can  be  detected.  What  is  called 
the  "  Milky  Way,"  with  all  the  larger  stars,  constitutes  the 
cluster  to  which  our  world  belongs. 


30  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

as  created  apart  from  the  sun.  How  could 
Moses  have  understood  this  ?  And  yet  now  how 
consistent  his  representation  appears ! 

We  leave  this  subject,  then,  with  this  observa- 
tion, that  probably  the  first  act  of  God,  connected 
with  this  earth,  will  be  the  last  understood  by 
man.  "We  are  not  competent  to  criticise  the 
Almighty's  method  of  creating ;  but  so  far  as  we 
can  understand  the  nature  of  material  things, 
when  'closely  examined,  it  confirms  the  Mosaic 
account. 


THE    DELUGE.  31 


CHAPTEK  H. 

THE   DELUGE. 

THE  moral  lessons  of  the  Deluge  are  what  should 
give  it  the  greatest  interest,  and  these  alone 
gave  its  history  a  claim  to  a  place  in  the  word 
of  God.  But  the  stupendousness  of  the  event  as 
a  natural  phenomenon,  its  assumed  violation  of 
the  laws  which  ordinarily  govern  material  things, 
and  its  apparent  impossibility,  have  diverted 
many  minds  from  its  deep  religious  teachings  to 
learned  disquisitions  upon  the  ocean,  the  land, 
rain,  and  all  the  particulars  of  the  science  of 
meteorology.  Gladly  would  we  confine  our  at- 
tention to  the  strictly  religious  aspects  of  the 
subject;  but  the  object  which  we  have  proposed 
compels  us  to  consider  the  theme  in  the  light  of 
evidence,  and  to  show  that  the  account  of  it  in 
Scripture  is  a  truthful  record  of  the  miraculous 
acts  of  our  Creator. 

Our  first  effort  should  be  to  obtain  as  clear 
and  as  accurate  views  as  possible  of  the  event. 
It  has  been  so  often  fancifully  and  eloquently 


32  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

described,  that  very  many  additional  particulars 
have  been  foisted  in  upon  the  Biblical  narrative, 
and  perhaps  multitudes  owe  more  of  their  con- 
ceptions of  the  deluge  to  the  fertile  fancy  of  men 
than  to  its  only  truthful  history.  When  we  are 
really  ignorant,  it  is  wise  to  acknowledge  it ;  and 
we  protest  against  the  right  of  any  uninspired 
man  to  append  any  particulars  to  the  original 
narrative  of  this  event. 

Let  us  first  consider  the  probable  number  of 
human  beings  living  when  the  flood  came  on  the 
earth.  Upon  this  subject  the  fancy  of  commen- 
tators has  performed  wondrous  exploits,  and  we 
have  been  bidden  to  look  upon  a  world  teeming 
with  population,  covered  with  cities,  its  rivers  and 
oceans  checkered  with  the  sails  of  commerce,  its 
valleys  and  hill-sides  cultivated — all  submerged 
by  the  rising  waters,  and  swept  into  one  com- 
mon grave.  But  what  are  the  facts  upon  which 
this  immense  superstructure  is  built  ?  Simply 
these : — 

1.  The  antediluvian  history  extended  over  six- 
teen hundred  and  fifty-six  years;    or,   accord- 
ing to  the  Septuagint,  twenty-two  hundred  and 
sixty-two  years. 

2.  God  had  said  to  man,  Be  fruitful,  multiply, 
and  replenish  the  earth. 


THE    DELUGE.  33 

3.  Cain  is  said  to  have  built  a  city.  Gen.  iv,  17. 

4.  The  patriarchs  successively  mentioned  are 
said  to  have  had  sons  and  daughters. 

Beyond  these  simple  statements  there  are  no 
facts  mentioned  bearing  upon  the  populonsness 
of  the  earth ;  and  truly  they  are  a  very  slight 
basis  for  such  a  towering  edifice.  Let  us  examine 
them  in  order. 

The  antediluvian  history  was  about  two  thou- 
sand years,  and  God  had  said  unto  man,  "Be 
fruitful."  True,  but  it  by  no  means  follows  that 
we  have  a  right  to  transfer  to  that  time  and  that 
world  the  rates  of  increase  in  population  that 
have  been  observed  in  the  most  favoured  coun- 
tries in  the  postdiluvian  world.  We  travel 
quite  beyond  the  record  in  so  doing.  Nothing 
is  more  evident  than  that  the  condition  of  man 
and  the  nature  of  man  were  vastly  different  then 
from  the  present.  One  thing  must  strike  every 
observer,  that  Noah  was  in  the  tenth  generation 
only  from  Adam,  and  that  there  had  been, 
therefore,  actually  only  ten  generations  in  hu- 
man history.  Again,  it  is  observable  that  the 
average  age  of  the  persons  mentioned,  at  the 
birth  of  their  eldest  son,  was  about  one  hundred 
and  sixty,  or,  according  to  the  Septuagint,  two 

hundred  and  sixty  years ;  and  that  we  have  no 
3 


34:  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

intimation  that  the  families  of  men  were  larger 
then  than  in  postdiluvian  times  ;  and  that  death 
then  must  have  interfered  with  the  increase  of 
population  as  well  as  now.  From  all  that  I  can 
gather  from  the  history,  I  conclude  that  we 
have  no  just  reason  to  conjecture  that  the  popu- 
lation of  the  antediluvian  world  was  greater  at 
the  end  of  1656,  or,  according  to  the  Septuagint, 
2262  years  from  Adam,  than  the  lineal  descend- 
ants of  one  family,  kept  by  itself,  would  be  now, 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  at  the  end  of  ten 
generations,  or  in  about  three  hundred  years. 
Allowing  that  the  population  should  double 
eleven  times,  which  is  a  liberal  estimate,  the 
number  of  human  beings  on  the  earth  at  the 
time  of  the  deluge  could  not  have  been  more 
than  six  thousand,  less  than  three  thousand  of 
whom  would  have  been  in  the  last  generation ; 
and  the  whole  number  would  constitute  only  a 
respectable  settlement. 

With  reference  to  the  statement  that  Cain 
built  a  city,  certainly  it  affords  no  intimation 
that  he  himself  founded  a  metropolis,  like  the 
present  great  cities  of  the  earth.  That  he  form- 
ed a  settlement  by  himself  is  all  we  have  any 
right  to  infer;  living  in  comparative  seclusion, 
but  gathering  about  him  a  few  friends. 


THE    DELUGE.  35 

The  opinion  that  the  population  of  the  world 
was,  as  we  might  naturally  expect,  for  the  first 
thousand  years  very  small,  though  constantly 
increasing,  and  thus  preparing  soon  for  a  very 
rapid  increase,  is  confirmed  by  the  opening  of 
the  sixth  chapter  of  Genesis :  "  And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  men  began  to  multiply  on  the  face  of 
the  earth."  What  is  the  meaning  of  that  phrase, 
"  men  began  to  multiply  ?"  Every  one  who  has 
made  the  arithmetical  calculation  of  a  regular 
increase,  by  the  constant  doubling  of  a  number, 
has  observed  that  for  a  certain  time  the  in- 
crease appears  trivial;  but  that  after  it  has 
reached  a  certain  progress,  the  advancement 
becomes  exceedingly  rapid.  Thus,  allowing 
that  the  population  doubles  in  what  is  called 
one  generation,  which  in  postdiluvian  times  is 
far  more  rapid  than  the  average,  at  the  end  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  years  from  the  creation 
there  would  have  been  four  human  beings  on 
the  earth ;  at  the  year  320  there  would  have  been 
eight;  at  the  year  480  there  would  have  been 
sixteen;  and  at  960  there  would  have  been 
thirty-two.  But  by  the  time  you  reached  the 
year  of  the  world  1440  the  whole  population 
might  be  over  a  thousand ;  and  now  the  increase 
would  begin  to  be  very  rapid. 


36  THE    YOUNG     MAN    ADVISED. 

Now,  in  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  chapter, 
-we  read  that  "men  began  to  multiply /"  and 
when  God  saw  that  this  multiplication  would  be 
a  curse,  because  the  little  body  of  human  beings 
were  exceedingly  sinful,  and,  so  to  speak,  the 
human  family  had  started  wrong,  he  said,  "  My 
Spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with  man,  for  that 
he  also  is  flesh:  yet  his  days  shall  be  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  years."  Now  this  is  universally 
understood  to  mean  that  God  then  revealed  to 
Noah,  and  perhaps  to  others,  that  man,  being 
flesh  or  mortal,  should  not  live  on  the  earth 
more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  from 
the  time  when  that  decision  was  made:  and 
before  that  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  was 
past  the  ark  must  be  prepared.  And,  conse- 
quently, we  infer  that  so  small  was  the  human 
family,  that  they  could  not,  in  ordinary  lan- 
guage, be  said  to  have  begun  to  multiply  till 
one  hundred  and  twenty  years  before  the  flood 
came. 

Now  just  for  a  moment  suppose,  as  many 
commentators  most  preposterously  assert,  that 
the  population  of  the  world,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  years  before  the  deluge,  amounted  to 
one  thousand  millions,  how  could  they  be  sjnM 
just  then  to  have  begun  to  multiply?  Begun  to 


THE    DELUGE.  37 

multiply ',  when  their  numbers  already  surpassed 
the  present  population  of  the  world!  Accord- 
ing to  that  view,  the  human  family  has  but  just 
now  "  begun  to  multiply  "  since  the  deluge ! 

We  would  not  so  strongly  insist  upon  this 
view,  opposed  as  we  know  to  the  general  senti- 
ment, did  we  not  firmly  believe  it  to  be  correct, 
and  did  we  not  believe,  too,  that  it  relieves  the 
subject  from  much  difficulty  and  darkness. 
How,  on  the  supposition  that  the  world  was 
immensely  populous  then,  could  Noah  have 
warned  them  all  of  a  coming  deluge  in  one 
hundred  and  twenty  years?  But  we  read  of 
no  other  one  commissioned  to  do  this  work. 
And  how  preposterous  it  would  have  been  to 
warn  a  whole  world,  teeming  with  population, 
of  a  coming  flood ;  and  that  the  only  provision 
against  it  was  the  building  of  one  ark,  in  a 
northern  country  of  Central  Asia. 

It  would  require  more  than  one  hundred  and 
twenty  years  even  for  twelve  apostles  to  travel 
over  the  whole  earth,  and,  by  any  imaginable 
system  of  conveying  information,  allow  twelve 
hundred  millions  of  people  to  hear  only  once 
the  startling  announcement.  We  have  had 
hundreds  of  missionaries  for  the  past  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  years,  but  they  have  not  yet 


38  THE     YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

succeeded  in  preaching  the  gospel,  nor,  even  by 
aid  of  the  printing-press,  in  giving  one  Bible  to 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  world. 

All  those  highly-wrought  pictures,  to  which 
you  have  often  perhaps  listened,  of  a  world  of 
millions  overtaken  by  a  flood  of  waters,  are 
simply  figments  of  the  imagination, — like  many 
representations  of  Scripture  scenes  on  canvass, 
very  sublime  and  creditable  to  the  artists,  but 
verily  not  worthy  of  a  place  in  sober  history. 
This  is  not  the  only  instance  in  which  we  shall 
find  it  very  profitable  to  search  the  Scriptures 
ourselves,  and  not  accept  for  truth  the  fancyings 
of  men. 

I  look  upon  the  deluge  as  the  next  great 
event  after  the  creation,  taking  place  in  the 
infancy  of  the  world;  and  though  some  two 
thousand  years  had  passed  away  according  to 
the  method  of  reckoning  time  employed  for  its 
estimation,  whatever  it  was,  yet  the  human  race 
must  have  been  very  scanty,  as  it  was  only  one 
hundred  and  twenty  years  after  God  saw  that 
"  men  began  to  multiply"  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  supposition  that  a  single  woman  would 
become  the  mother  of  three  or  four  hundred 
children  successively  is  preposterous  in  the  ab- 
stract, unparalleled  in  nature,  and  not  supported 


THE    DELUGE.  39 

by  a  single  sentence  of  tradition,  profane  or 
Scriptural ;  and  yet  such  is  the  supposition  of 
all  who  maintain  that -the  earth  was  thickly 
populated  before  the  deluge. 

Having  thus  considered  the  probable  popula- 
tion of  the  world  at  that  time,  the  next  point  of 
interest  is  the  extent  of  the  deluge.  And  here, 
too,  we  are  met  with  a  mass  of  theories  and 
descriptions  that  would  appal  us  by  their  multi- 
tude and  contradictions,  were  we  not  assured 
that  they  are  human  fancies,  wholly  unfounded 
in  the  Scriptural  narrative. 

It  has  been  taken  for  granted  by  many  that 
the  surface  of  the  earth  was  then  similar  to  the 
present ;  that  the  two  great  continents  now  ex- 
isting, and  all  the  islands,  were  then  in  existence, 
with  the  present  great  mountain  ranges;  and 
that  all  were  immersed,  to  the  very  summit  of 
the  Alps,  the  Andes,  and  the  Himalayas ;  and 
careful  calculations  have  been  instituted  upon 
the  amount  of  water  requisite  to  enlarge  the 
globe  of  the  earth  out  to  these  summits  on  all 
sides.  Various  fancied  sources  of  these  waters 
have  been  invented,  some  looking  to  the  bowels 
of  the  earth,  some  to  a  foreign  body  in  space, 
some  supposing  that  it  was  miraculously  created 
at  the  time,  and  afterward  annihilated,  and  some 


40  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

that  it  was  liberated  from  various  solid  bodies 
that  held  it  imprisoned,  and  afterward  absorbed ; 
while  no  reasonable  explanation  of  the  supposi- 
tion can  be  given  that  it  should  rain  upon  all 
sides  of  the  earth  at  once,  a  phenomenon  per- 
fectly contradictory  to  the  ordinary  laws  of 
nature. 

Others  have  supposed  that  the  configuration 
of  the  continents  was  then  entirely  destroyed, 
the  dry  land  previous  to  the  deluge  being  where 
the  ocean  is  now,  and  the  ocean  previously 
occupying  the  place  of  the  present  land ;  and 
that  the  bed  of  the  ocean  was  raised  into  con- 
tinents, ,and  the  old  continents  depressed  into 
seas.  No  glimpse  of  such  tremendous  phenom- 
ena, however,  is  given  in  the  sacred  record. 

Now  a  law  of  universal  application  may  be 
inferred  from  the  acts  of  God,  namely,  that  he 
never  exhibits  a  superfluity  of  power,  never 
resorts  to  a  miracle  where  ordinary  laws  of 
nature  will  bring  about  his  design,  and  never 
displays  a  miracle  more  stupendous  than  suffi- 
cient to  accomplish  the  intended  purpose. 

If,  then,  our  views  upon  the  populousness  of 
the  world  at  that  time  are  correct,  no  such  ex- 
travagant theories  are  necessary.  The  object 
of  the  flood  is  clearly  stated  to  have  been  to 


THE    DELUGE.  41 

sweep  off  the  wicked  race  of  men  universally. 
But  if  that  race  were  few  in  numbers,  and  con- 
fined to  a  small  section  of  the  earth,  then  a 
deluge  covering  that  entire  section  of  earth,  and 
sweeping  away  the  entire  world  of  men,  would 
be  universal  to  them ;  and  any  excess  of  water 
above  that  requisite  amount  would  have  been 
superfluous,  and  therefore  contrary  to  the  gen- 
eral plan  according  to  which  the  Almighty 
always  acts.  Nor  is  it  a  valid  objection  to  this 
view  that  terms  expressive  of  universality  are 
employed  in  the  brief  description  of  the  deluge. 
The  deluge  was  universal  if  it  destroyed  all  of 
mankind, — and  "everything  under  the  whole 
heaven"  perished.  Language  must  always  be 
interpreted  according  to  the  general  view  given 
in  the  context,  or  whole  description  of  which  it 
forms  a  part ;  and  especially  the  language  in  the 
historical  parts  of  the  Bible,  where  it  is  always 
employed  in  what  may  be  called  a  popular  sense, 
and  not  with  that  accuracy  sought  in  scientific 
and  legal  writings. 

In  Genesis  xli,  56,  we  read,  "  And  the  famine 
was  over  all  the  face  of  the  earth."  Could  a 
more  general  term  be  employed  than  this,  "  over 
all  the  face  of  the  earth?" 

But  who  supposes  that  this  is  to  be  literally 


0-sr 


4:2  THE   YOUNG   MAN   ADVISED. 

understood, — that  there  was  famine  in  all  parts 
of  Europe,  and  of  Africa,  and  of  America, — if 
America  then  existed, — as  well  as  in  the  parts 
of  Asia  immediately  described  ?  "  All  the  face 
of  the  earth"  evidently  means  there, — that  part 
of  the  earth  in  which  Jacob  and  his  sons  dwelt, 
and  the  regions  about  Egypt. 

In  Deuteronomy  ii,  25,  we  read  this  ex- 
pression: "This  day  will  I  begin  to  put  the  dread 
of  thee  and  the  fear  of  thee  upon  the  nations 
that  are  under  the  whole  heaven,  who  shall  hear 
report  of  thee,  and  shall  tremble,  and  be  in  an- 
guish because  of  thee."  This  was  the  word  of 
the  Lord  to  Moses,  when  he  was  about  to  attack 
the  Canaanites ;  but  who  supposes  that,  literally, 
that  attack  would  excite  terror  in  the  minds  of 
all  nations,  or  "the  nations  under  the  whole 
heaven  ?"  Did  it  terrify  the  Hindoos  and  Chi- 
nese, and  other  nations  then  existing,  who  have 
never  heard  of  it  even  to  this  day?  "Who  does 
not  perceive  that  "the  nations  that  are  under 
the  whole  heaven,"  is  a  phrase  used  to  denote 
the  very  general  consternation  that  would  be 
excited  among  all  the  Canaanites  and  other 
people  immediately  concerned  ? 

Nor  is  such  a  use  of  language  confined  to  the 
Old  Testament.  In  Luke  ii,  1,  we  read,  "And 


THE    DEL.UQE.  43 

it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  that  there  went  out 
a  decree  from  Caesar  Augustus,  that  all  the  world 
should  be  taxed."  Certainly  all  the  world  in 
this  decree  could  mean  only  the  whole  Roman 
empire,  which  was  less  than  half  the  world, 
while,  in  fact,  it  seems  only  to  have  meant 
Palestine. 

In  Acts  ii,  5,  it  is  said,  "And  there  were 
dwelling  at  Jerusalem  Jews,  devout  men,  out 
of  every  nation  under  heaven"  which,  of  course, 
simply  means  from  many  nations;  perhaps  from 
all  the  nations  with  which  the  Jews  were  then 
conversant. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  multiply  instances  upon 
so  plain  a  point.  The  terms  of  universality  em- 
ployed in  the  description  of  the  deluge,  without 
doing  violence  to  any  rule,  artd  in  strict  accord- 
ance with  the  ordinary  method  of  interpreting 
language,  may  be  supposed  to  signify  all  the 
world  then  inhabited  by  the  descendants  of 
Adam.  A  deluge  destroying  them  was  to  man, 
strictly  speaking,  a  universal  deluge.  The  most 
universal  terms  were  not  improper,  since  it  was 
the  total  destruction  of  all  men ;  and  so  far  as 
they  could  see,  or  had  even  conjectured,  "un- 
der the  whole  heaven." 

But,  it  may  be  asked,  Why  was  Noah  com- 


44  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

manded  to  take  into  the  ark  with,  him  animals 
of  various  kinds,  if  the  deluge  was  not  strictly 
universal  ?  We  reply,  There  were  probably  then, 
as  now,  many  animals  domesticated  and  sup- 
ported by  man,  and  these,  too,  the  most  valua- 
ble for  man,  living  nowhere  else ;  besides  various 
other  species  that  may  not  have  wandered  far 
from  what  seems  to  have  been  the  birth-place  of 
men,  and  of  the  most,  if  not  of  all  animals,  which 
would  have  been  exterminated  by  the  deluge 
but  for  this  provision.  These  Noah  was  com- 
manded to  save.  This  view  seems  to  us  plausi- 
ble and  natural,  and  at  the  same  time  completely 
to  remove  the  strongest  objections  to  the  more 
common  view,  growing  out  of  the  immense 
number  of  species,  and  the  apparent  mathemat- 
ical impossibility  <3f  crowding  them  into  a  vessel 
of  the  given  dimensions  of  the  ark.* 

Again,  the  earth's  surface  bears  marks  of  re- 
peated local  deluges,  which  are  brought  about 
by  the  regular  action  of  the  laws  of  nature,  any 
one  of  which  would  have  been  amply  sufficient 
to  sweep  away  an  entire  race  equal  to  that  in- 
habiting the  antediluvian  world. 

0  The  number  of  distinct  species  of  animals  incapable  of 
mixing,  breathing  only  in  the  air,  is  at  least  five  thousand. 
(See  Agassiz  and  Gnold's  Zoology,  p.  3.) 


THE    DELUGE.  4:5 

Do  any  object  that  this  view  seems  to  strip 
the  account  of  its  miraculous  character?  I  an- 
swer, We  are  bound  to  understand  all  Scriptural 
narratives  in  the  simplest  manner  possible ;  and 
this  event  was  truly  miraculous,  in  its  time,  in  its 
purpose,  in  the  prophetic  revelation  of  it  given 
to  Noah,  and  in  its  stupendous  effects,  sweep- 
ing, as  it  did,  the  world  of  its  guilty  progeny, 
and  preparing  the  earth  for  a  new  commence- 
ment of  human  history ;  after  which  the  nature 
of  man  was  surprisingly  changed,  his  term  of  life 
greatly  diminished,  and  the  temptations  to  sin, 
and  the  severity  of  man's  trial,  probably,  greatly 
lessened. 

Such  is  the  view  of  the  deluge  which  we  are 
compelled  to  take  ;  if  others  entertain  different 
views,  we  cannot  object  to  it;  but  these  views 
have  not  been  selected  by  us  to  accommodate 
any  particular  theory,  but  are  forced  upon  our 
minds  by  a  careful  examination  of  the  Bible 
itself. 

Having  determined  what  the  deluge  was,  and 
what  was  its  object,  it  is  our  purpose  now  to 
inquire  into  the  evidence  of  this  historical  fact 
now  existing  among  men,  apart  from  the  sacred 
record.  This  evidence  we  shall  find  abundant 


46  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

and  satisfactory,  and  such  as  to  force  conviction 
upon  every  candid  mind. 

Observe  the  many  obstacles  standing  in  the 
way  of  a  clear  traditional  account  of  this  event. 
Letters  were  not  invented,  perhaps,  till  centuries 
after  the  deluge :  they  certainly  were  not  in 
common  use  for  many  hundred  years ;  and  all 
history  that  was  preserved  was  transmitted  by 
word  of  mouth.  When  writing  was  first  em- 
ployed, the  deluge  was  a  subject  of  no  more 
immediate  interest  than  it  is  now.  Those  who 
then  lived  had  not  seen  its  waves.  Still,  the 
tremendousness  of  the  event  did  preserve  it  in 
the  minds  of  men  till  language  was  written ; 
and  one  of  the  earliest  efforts  of  writing  was  to 
make  an  imperishable  record  of  this  history. 

The  Assyrians  had  a  very  exact  account  of 
the  deluge,*  in  which  they  state  that  the  tenth 
man  in  descent  from  the  first  was  saved  in  an 
ark,  which  rested  finally  at  Armenia.  Berosus 
preserves  the  name  Noah,  and  of  his  sons  Shem, 
Ham,  and  Japhet. 

The  ancient  Persians  have  a  similar  tradition. 
Zoroaster  is  said  to  have  affirmed  that  the  deluge 
was  occasioned  by  the  wickedness  of  a  person 

0  Berosus,  as  quoted  by  Eusebius,  in  Praep.  Evangel., 
lib.  iz,  c.  xii. 


THE    DELUGE.  4:7 

called  Malsus  ;  and  the  Persians  now  pretend  to 
designate  a  place  where  the  waters  gushed  from 
the  earth.*  A  poem,  called  Bagavat,  written  in 
the  language  of  Hindostan,  centuries  before 
Christ,  has  a  similar  account.  The  description 
of  it  is  strikingly  similar  to  that  given  by 
Moses,  f 

There  is  also  a  Chinese  tradition  to  the  same 
effect.  "They  believe  the  earth  to  have  been 
wholly  covered  with  water,  flowing  abundantly, 
tjien  subsiding,  and  separating  the  higher  from 
the  lower  age  of  mankind.;): 

The  ancient  Egyptians  do  not  seem  to  have 
overlooked  the  stupendous  fact.  Their  Osiris, 
who  seems  to  have  been  Noah,  according  to 
Plutarch,  entered  an  ark  on  the  seventeenth  of 
the  month  Athyr,  corresponding  exactly  with 
the  Hebrew  account.§ 

The  story  of  Deucalion's  deluge  is  familiar  to 
every  classical  scholar.  Of  him,  Philo,  an 
Alexandrian  Jew,  well  states:  "The  Grecians 
call  him  Deucalion,  but  the  Chaldeans  style 
him  Noah,  in  whose  time  the  great  deluge 
occurred." 

0  Edinburgh  Encyc.,  article,  Deluge, 
f  Asiatic  Researches,  vol.  ii.,  p.  118.         J  Ibid.,  p.  376. 
§  See  Edinburgh  Encyc.,  article,  Deluge ;  and  Plutarch  de 
Isid.  and  Osir.,  p.  356,  &c. 


4:8  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

Plutarch,  a  Grecian  writer  after  Christ,  men- 
tions a  tradition,  that  Deucalion  sent  out  a  dove 
from  the  vessel,  to  explore  the  waste  of  waters. 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  many  nations  that 
have  been  shut  off,  till  lately,  from  intercourse 
with  others  from  time  immemorial,  have  pre- 
served such  traditions.  The  natives  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  the  New-Zealand ers, 
both,  when  visited,  had  such  traditions.  The 
Peruvians,  Mexicans,  and  North  American  In- 
dians had  similar  traditions. 

It  has  been  attempted  to  account  for  these 
traditions  by  supposing  many  local  deluges  in 
ancient  times ;  but  this  is  very  unphilosophical, 
begging  the  question,  and  multiplying  difficul- 
ties. No  candid  mind  can  resist  the  influence 
of  these  traditions,  nor  deny  that  on  the  suppo- 
sition of  a  universal  deluge,  like  that  described 
in  the  Bible,  in  the  infancy  of  the  world,  these 
distorted  and  yet  agreeing  traditions  are  what 
might  have  been  anticipated.  "We  do  not  ad- 
duce them  as  a  demonstration,  but  as  valuable 
subsidiary  evidence. 

Still  other  evidence  of  the  universal  deluge  is 
extant.  A  remembrance  of  it  is  perpetuated  in 
the  most  ancient  systems  of  heathen  worship. 
These  systems  of  idolatry  were  of  gradual  growth, 


THE    DELt%E.  49 

and  many  of  them  had  originally  some  historical 
basis.  Any  other  supposition  is  not  only  gratu- 
itous, but  absurd.  Those  who  have  studied  the 
gradual  encroachment  of  idolatry  upon  Chris- 
tianity, in  the  history  of  the  Komish  Church,  are 
at  no  loss  to  account  for  heathen  idolatry. 

Now  it  is  a  striking  fact  that  an  ark  has  been 
held  in  great  veneration  in  some  of  the  most 
wide-spread  systems  of  worship.  This  was  true 
in  the  worship  of  Osiris  in  Egypt,  of  Adonis  in 
various  countries,  of  Bacchus  and  Ceres  in 
Home ;  and,  to  the  astonishment  of  scholars,  this 
same  mysterious  veneration  of  the  ark  has  been 
detected  among  the  Mexicans,  North  American 
Indians,  and  South  Sea  islanders. 

Is  not  this  strange  attesting  evidence  of  the 
fact,  that  all  men  were  once  under  great  obliga- 
tion to  the  ark  ?* 

It  would  seem  also  that  the  triads  of  gods,  in 
various  systems  of  prevalent  heathen  worship, 
have  arisen  from  the  deification  of  Noah's  three 
sons,  who,  confounded  with  Adam's  three  sons, 
came  to  be  looked  upon  as  the  three  great  tute- 

0  The  critical  reader  will  find  this  subject  elaborated  in 
Bryant's  Ancient  Mythology,  a  prodigy  of  diligence  and  re- 
search ;  and  also  in  Faber's  Dissertation  on  the  Mysteries  of 
the  Cabiri. 

4 


50  THE    YOuKrG    MAN    ADVISED. 

lar  divinities  of  men.  The  one,  Cain  or  Ham, 
was  regarded  as  an  unpropitious  or  gloomy  god. 
"Hence  we  have  in  all  pagan  mythologies  a 
triad  of  principal  gods.  In  the  Greek,  Jupiter, 
Neptune,  and  Pluto;  in  the  Hindoo,  Brahma, 
Vishnu,  and  Siva ;  in  the  Egyptian,  Osiris, 
Horus,  and  Typhon,  one  of  whom,  in  each  case, 
is  a  divinity  of  a  dark  nature,  like  Cain  or  Ham. 
The  Persians  had  their  Ormuzd,  Mithrad,  and 
Ahriman;  the  Syrians  their  Merinnus,  Azis, 
and  Ares;  the  Canaanites  their  Baal-Shelisha, 
or  self-triplicated  Baal;  the  Goths  their  Odin, 
Yilo,  and  Ye,  who  are  described  as  the  three 
sons  of  the  mysterious  cow,  a  symbol  of  the  ark ; 
the  Jakutha  Tartars  their  Artagon,  Schugo-ten- 
gon,  and  Tanguru — the  last,  even  in  name,  the 
Tangu-tangu  of  the  Peruvians  :  for  this  singular 
fact  stops  not  with  the  great  primitive  nations ; 
it  extends  itself  to  all  others,  even  to  those  dis- 
covered in  modern  times.  Like  China  and 
Japan,  the  Peruvians  were  found,  on  the  dis- 
covery of  America,  to  have  their  triads,  Apem- 
iti,  Churunti,  and.  Intiquoque,  or  the  father- 
sun,  brother  sun,  and  son-sun.  The  Mexicans 
had  also  their  Mexilli,  Haloc,  and  Tercallipuca, 
the  last  the  god  of  repentance.  The  New-Zeal- 
anders  believe  that  three  gods  made  the  first 


THE    DELUGE.  51 

man  and  the  first  woman  from  the  man's  rib ; 
and  their  general  term  for  love  is  Eve.  The 
Otaheitans  had  a  similar  idea."* 

Thus  traditions  and  customs  combine  to  con- 
firm this  Biblical  account.  It  should  never  be 
forgotten  that  the  evidence  of  the  divine  origin 
and  the  truth  of  the  Bible  is  cumulative,  and 
consists  of  almost  innumerable  parts,  all  har- 
moniously cohering.  "Well  has  it  been  said  that 
"  the  moral  certainty  iof  the  Mosaic  history  of 
the  flood  is  established  on  a  basis  sufficiently 
firm  to  bid  defiance  to  the  cavils  of  scepticism." 
It  follows  from  this  great  fact,  that  the  human 
family  had  its  second  origin  where  the  ark 
rested,  on  the  mountainous  region  of  Ararat, 
which  was  probably  Armenia,  in  'Western  Asia, 
perhaps  the  most  beautiful  region  of  the  earth. 

A  German  historian  f  has  remarked  that  there 
seems  to  be  no  better  way  of  determining  this, 
than  to  seek  where  wheat,  rye,  oats,  and  barley — • 
grains  which  civilized  men  have  always  with 
them — grow  spontaneously ;  and  where  the  horse, 
and  ox,  and  other  domestic  animals,  always  at- 
tendant upon  men,  run  wild :  for  we  may  with 
propriety  suppose  that  the  first  emigrants  car- 

0  Hewitt's  Priestcraft,  pp.  19,  20. 

t  Miiller's  Universal  History,  vol.  i,  p.  43. 


52       THE  YOUNG-  MAN  ADVISED. 

ried  with  them  the  vegetables  and  animals  which 
they  had  at  home,  just  as  emigrants  now  carry 
with  them  the  utensils  and  vegetables  of  their 
fatherland.  Now  barley  grows  wild  behind  the 
Caspian  Sea.  Other  grains  there  grow  spon- 
taneously, and  there  our  household  animals 
roam  without  owners.  There  are  found,  in- 
digenous with  the  soil,  the  vine,  the  olive,  rice, 
legumina,  and  other  plants  on  which  man  has 
depended  in  all  ages  for  •sustenance  ;  and  all  of 
those  animals  which  he  has  tamed  and  led  with 
him  over  the  whole  earth,  there  run  wild  upon 
the  mountains,  as  the  ox,  the  horse,  the  ass,  the 
sheep,  the  goat,  the  camel,  the  hog,  the  dog,  the 
cat,  and  even  the  gentle  reindeer,  which  ac- 
companies him  to  the  icy  polar  tract. 

As  far  as  this  strange  evidence  goes,  how 
beautifully  and  singularly  does  it  authenticate 
Holy  Writ! 

The  unity  of  the  human  race  is  a  fact  directly 
flowing  from  the  doctrine  of  a  universal  deluge, 
and  will  be  considered  in  a  following  chapter. 

We  cannot  conclude  this  chapter  without  the 
remark,  that  if  any  are  not  convinced  by  the 
above  arguments  that  the  great  deluge  was 
local,  extending  only  so  far  as  man  extended, 
still  all  the  other  facts  and  reasonings  adduced 


THE  DELUGE.  53 

are  applicable.  We  have  no  objection  to  a 
belief  in  the  positive  universality  of  the  deluge, 
if  any  choose ;  to  us  the  Bible  itself — and  on 
that  alone  we  depend — does  not  seem  to  teach 
it, — and  this,  too,  is  the  belief  of  very  many,  we 
think  a  majority,  of  learned  commentators  on  the 
Holy  Scriptures. 


54  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 


CHAPTEK  HI. 

EARLY  TRADITIONS  CONFIRMATORY  OF  THE 
FIRST  CHAPTERS  OF  GENESIS. 

THE  traditions  of  ancient  nations  cannot  be  ac- 
counted for,  or  understood,  except  by  the  key 
that  is  presented  in  the  Book  of  Genesis.  The 
nations  that  claim  an  ancient  history  are  very 
few,  and  are  confined  to  Asia  and  Africa.  The 
Persians,  Chinese,  Hindus,  Tartars,  and  Assyr- 
ians, are  the  oldest  Asiatic  nations;  and  the 
Egyptians  and  Ethiopians  are  the  oldest  in 
Africa.  There  is  no  people  in  Europe  that  ever 
claimed  an  antiquity  as  high  as  the  commonly 
received  date  of  the  deluge,  or  for  whom  it  was 
ever  claimed ;  and  about  the  origin  of  the  early  in- 
habitants of  America  nothing  certainly  is  known. 
Some  of  the  most  curious  traditions  of  the 
ancient  nations,  bearing  upon  the  antediluvian 
world,  are  worthy  of  brief  notice.  The  most 
ancient  heathen  writer,  any  of  whose  produc- 
tions are  extant,  was  perhaps  Sanchoniathon,  who 
lived  in  Phoenicia,  within  the  limits  of  what  is 


EAELY    TRADITIONS.  55 

now  called  Palestine.  The  precise  date  of  his 
life  is  not  known,  and  all  of  his  writings  now 
extant  are  found  as  quotations,  translated  into 
Greek,  in  a  book  entitled,  "The  Preparation 
and  Defence  of  the  Gospel,"*  by  Eusebius,  a 
bishop  of  Caesarea,  in  Palestine,  who  lived  in  the 
fourth  century  after  Christ.  How  he  obtained 
Sanchoniathon's  writings  is  not  known  ;  and  as 
his  quotations  are  introduced  without  a  speci- 
fication of  their  nature,  or  a  statement  of  their 
authority,  they  are  of  but  little  intrinsic  value. 
It  is,  however,  clear  that  though  this  extract  is 
loaded  with  heathen  superstitions,  the  Mosaic 
account  of  the  creation,  and  of  the  antediluvian 
world,  are  confirmed  by  it.f  Historians  gener- 
ally have  attributed  great  value  to  the  few 
extracts  we  have  from  Sanchoniathon,  and  regard 
him  as  a  sober  historian. 

His  representation  of  the  creation  is,  "  That 
the  beginning  of  all  things  was  a  dark,  con- 
densed wind,  turbid  and  black,  and,  for  a  long 
series  of  ages,  destitute  of  form."  This  was 
chaos.  "  But  finally,  through  its  own  love, 


]"  or  "  Prseparatio 
Evangelica,"  lib.  i,  cap.  x,  and  lib.  iv,  cap.  xvii. 

t  See  also  Cory's  Ancient  Fragments.  London  :  Pickering. 
1832.  Page  3,  &c.,  where  a  literal  translation  into  English 
is  given. 


56  THE    YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

[attraction,]  a  union  was  formed,  and  this  was 
the  beginning  of  the  creation  of  things."  "  First, 
animals  without  sensation  were  formed :  but 
when  the  air  began  to  send  forth  light,  winds 
were  produced;  thunders  and  lightnings  fol- 
lowed ;  intelligent  animals  sprung  up ;  and, 
finally,  two  men  were  created,  Eon  and  Proto- 
gonus ;  and  Eon  discovered  food  from  trees. 
Their  descendants  were  Genus  [perhaps  Cain] 
and  Genea." 

This  account  is  fanciful,  but  is  it  a  perversion 
of  the  truth,  or  a  mere  imagination?  The 
reader  can  judge  as  well  as  the  learned  men 
who  have  affected  to  decide. 

Another  ancient  writer  is  Berosus,  who  is 
said  to  have  been  a  priest  of  the  worship  of 
Belus,  in  Babylon,  a  contemporary  of  Alex- 
ander the  Great,  and  for  some  years  a  resident 
in  Athens,  Greece.  He  lived  more  than  half  a 
century  after  the  last  Hebrew  prophet,  whose 
writings  form  a  part  of  the  Old  Testament ;  and 
in  confirmation  of  the  Mosaic  history  his  account 
would  not  be  of  the  slightest  worth,  did  he  not 
pretend  to  have  access  to  the  ancient  looks  of 
the  Babylonians,  and  to  draw  his  information 
from  them. 


EARLY     TRADITIONS.  57 

A  fragment  of  Berosus's  writings  is  preserved 
by  Alexander  Polyhistor,  who  lived  in  Phrygia, 
in  the  second  century  of  our  Lord.  He  was  a 
heathen  writer,  and  celebrated  for  his  varied 
and  abundant  learning.  According  to  him, 
Berosus  says,  "In  the  first  year  [or  earliest 
times]  there  appeared  a  superior  being,  Oan- 
nes,  who  gave  the  following  account  of  the 
creation:  'There  was  a  time  when  nothing 
existed  but  darkness  and  an  abyss  of  waters, 
wherein  existed  hideous  beings,  which  were 
produced  of  a  twofold  principle."3  Then  fol- 
lows a  lively  allegorical  picture  of  chaos. 
"  Finally,  Belus  [or  the  Divinity]  divided  the 
darkness,  and  separated  the  heavens  from  the 
earth,  and  reduced  the  universe  to  order."  Then 
follows  a  fanciful  account  of  the  creation  of 
man. 

This  information  Berosus  claims  to  have  found 
written  and  delineated  on  the  walls  of  the  temple 
of  Belus,  in  Babylon,  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  priests. 

No  traditional  view  of  the  creation  among 
the  Egyptians,  worthy  of  notice,  has  been  pre- 
served; though  it  is  plainly  stated  by  Jam- 
blichus,  a  great  friend  of  the  apostate  emperor 


58  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Julian,  and  the  strongest  defender  of  Paganism, 
in  the  fourth  century  after  Christ,  that  the 
ancient  Egyptians  believed  in  one  God,  the 
Creator  of  all  things. 

Plutarch,  a  Grecian,  who  lived  in  the  second 
century  after  Christ,  says  that  he  read  the  fol- 
lowing inscription  in  an  Egyptian  temple :  "  I  AM 

ALL  THAT  HAS  BEEN,  IS,  AND  EVER  SHALL  BE ;" 

which  strongly  reminds  us  of  the  fourteenth 
verse  of  the  third  chapter  of  Exodus :  "  And 
God  said  unto  Moses,  I  AM  THAT  I  AM :  and 
he  said,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the  children 
of  Israel,  I  AM  hath  sent  me  unto  you." 

That  the  earliest  Egyptians  believed  in  one 
God,  the  Creator,  is  affirmed  by  modern  investi- 
gators of  their  monuments  and  writings.  They 
believed  also  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  in  a 
resurrection  of  the  body,  and  in  future  rewards 
and  punishments.* 

Tli at  the  ancient  Hindoos  had  a  clear  tradition 
of  the  creation,  corresponding  in  its  general 
features  with  the  statement  in  Genesis,  though 
mixed  up  with  many  strange  conceits,  is  unani- 
mously asserted  by  all  who  have  investigated 

0  See  Egypt :  her  Monuments,  Hieroglyphics,  &c.  By 
George  R.  Gliddon,  late  United  States  Consul  at  Cairo.  Phila- 
delphia: T.  B.  Peterson.  1844, 


EAKLY    TRADITIONS.  59 

their  strange  books.  Sir  William  Jones,  the 
celebrated  linguist,  and  founder  of  the  Asiatic 
Society  for  inquiring  into  the  histories  and  anti- 
quities of  that  continent,  has  given  this  testi- 
mony, which  is  corroborated  by  others. 

It  would  be  of  but  little  advantage  to  examine 
the  exceedingly  scanty  and  unsatisfactory  frag- 
ments of  the  earliest  writings  of  the  Chinese, 
Persians,  Scythians,  and  others ;  but  we  should 
find  in  all  traces — dim  though  they  are — of  a 
belief  in  the  creation  of  this  world,  from  nothing, 
by  the  Almighty  God. 

In  the  Manava  Sastra,  or  Institutes  of  Menu, 
a  work  of  great  authority  and  remote  antiquity 
among  the  Hindoos,  the  origin  of  the  universe 
is  thus  unfolded:  "It  existed  only  in  the  first 
divine  idea,  yet  unexpanded,  as  if  involved  in 
darkness,  imperceptible,  undefinable,  undiscover- 
able  by  reason,  and  undiscovered  by  revelation, 
as  if  it  were  wholly  immersed  in  sleep.  Then 
the  sole,  self-existing  power,  who  had  existed 
from  eternity,  shone  forth  in  person,  expanding 
his  idea,  and  dispelling  the  gloom.  "With  a 
thought,  he  first  created  the  waters,  and  placed 
in  them  a  productive  seed :  this  seed  became  an 
egg,  [or  globe,]  in  which  he  was  himself  born, 


60  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

[or  manifested,]  in  the  form  of  Brahma,  the 
great  forefather  of  all  spirits."* 

In  all  the  ancient  descriptions  of  the  creation 
we  can  trace  a  resemblance,  in  some  cases  very 
close,  to  the  Mosaic  account ;  but  in  no  case  is 
the  relation  complete  or  consistent,  but  bears 
marks  of  perversion  through  human  ignorance 
and  superstition. 

There  are  found  also,  in  the  earliest  writings 
extant,  various  traditions  confirmatory  of  other 
relations  given  in  the  first  part  of  the  Book  of 
Genesis,  such  as  the  first  sin  of  man,  the  myste- 
rious agency  of  the  serpent  in.  introducing  evil 
into  this  world,  and  the  expulsion  from  Eden. 
But  as  the  evidence  is  in  this  case  remote,  and 
open  to  many  objections,  it  does  not  comport 
with  the  object  and  size  of  this  book  to  adduce 
it  at  length.  Facts  bearing  upon  the  subject 
may  be  found  in  Dean's  "Worship  of  the  Serpent, 
Pigott's  Manual  of  Scandinavian  Mythology, 
Smith's  Patriarchal  Age,  &c.,  and  are  familiar 
to  every  student  of  ancient  history. 

0  Cory's  Inquiries,  Metaphysical,  Mythological,  &o.    Lon- 
don :  Pickering.     1833.    Vol.  ii,  p.  14. 


THE    TOWER    OF    BABEL.  61 


CHAPTEE  IY. 

THE  TOWER  OF  BABEL,  AND  THE  CONFUSION  OF 
TONGUES. 

HISTORY  becomes  faint  and  indistinct  as  you 
trace  it  upward  toward  the  beginning  of  the 
world.  It  consists  of  fragments  of  the  skeleton 
of  the  ages,  just  sufficient  to  enable  some  his- 
torical Cuvier  to  decide  the  nature  of  the  race, 
or  the  empire  to  which  they  belong;  but  the 
muscles  and  sinews,  and  above  all  the  hecvrt,  the 
spirit  of  those  past  times,  where  are  they  ? 

The  light  of  divine  revelation  shines  brightly 
on  the  apex  of  the  pyramid  of  human  history. 
In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and 
the  earth — that  is,  the  top-stone  of  the  structure, 
clear  as  crystal,  and  reflecting  heaven's  own 
light;  but,  as  we  descend  the  slowly- widening 
structure  toward  our  own  time,  clouds  and  dark- 
ness rest  upon  it,  here  and  there  slightly  rent 
and  dissipated,  till,  toward  the  bottom,  cleared 
away,  we  have  what  is  called  the  light  of  the 
present  day. 


62  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

All  the  history  we  have  of  the  first  three 
thousand  years  of  the  world  is  not  equal  in 
amount  to  a  common  modern  biography  of  a 
single  person.  How  evident  is  it,  therefore,  that 
it  must  be  fragmentary,  disjointed,  and  easily 
perverted  and  misunderstood  !  Is  it  strange  that 
it  should  often  perplex  by  its  conciseness  and 
mysteriousness  ?  One  thing  may,  however,  grat- 
ify us  ;  it  is  only  the,  most  prominent  and  strong- 
est parts,  only  the  most  valuable  facts  that  will 
survive  the  wreck  of  ages.  The  creation  is  a 
sublime  fact,  standing  alone  amid  facts ;  the  fall 
of  man  is  a  terrible  truth,  giving  colour  to  all 
history;  the  deluge  is  so  tremendous  a  subject 
that  it  could  not  be  overlooked ;  and  the  next 
great  fact  in  human  history,  worthy  of  the  notice 
of  the  inspired  penman,  is  the  theme  of  this 
chapter. 

The  building  of  Babel,  and  the  dispersion  of 
its  builders,  is  the  only  fact  recorded  of  a  thou- 
sand years.  Let  us  inquire  into  its  significance. 

Whether  all  men  then  living  on  the  earth 
participated  in  this  enterprise,  which  seems  to 
have  been  displeasing  to  God,  it  is  impossible  to 
determine.  The  unsophisticated  reader  of  the 
Bible,  not  noticing  the  fragmentary  character  of 
these  early  annals,  would  suppose  that  all  were 


THE   TOWER   OF   BABEL. 


engaged  in  the  work.  It  is  probable  that  the 
population  of  the  world  at  the  building  of  Babel 
was  much  larger  than  at  the  time  of  the  deluge ; 
and  indeed,  previous  to  the  relation  of  this 
event,  the  sacred  historian  informs  us  that  the 
name  Peleg  (or  Division)  was  given  to  a  child, 
because  ain  his  days  was  the  earth  divided." 
It  is  therefore  the  opinion  of  Augustine,  (who 
lived  in  the  fourth  century  of  our  Lord,)  and  of 
Luther  and  Calvin,  Patrick,  Dr.  S.  Clarke,  and 
many  others,  that  men  already  had  scattered 
themselves  widely  before  a  certain  portion  of 
them,  under  a  leader,  projected  the  building 
of  this  tower,  which  was  designed  to  arrest  the 
further  dispersion  of  man,  and  to  be  the  centre 
of  a  great  hierarchy. 

Not  deciding,  then,  whether  a  part  or  all  of 
mankind  were  concerned,  another  question 
arises.  "Why  was  it  considered  a  crime  ?  The 
design  to  build  a  tower  or  city  has  no  necessary 
depravity  connected  with  it.  'Nor  are  we  to 
understand  that  they  wished  to  climb  into 
heaven.  It  was  wrong,  because  it  was  in 
direct  contradiction  to  God's  expressed  will, 
which  was  that  the  families  should  separate 
for  the  purpose  of  populating  the  whole  earth. 
It  was  wrong  also,  probably,  because  it  was 


64  THE  YOUNG   MAN   ADVISED. 

designed  to  foster  the  ambition  of  a  few,  and 
give  strength  to  tyranny,  and,  we  have  reason  to 
believe,  to  support  a  false  religion.  How  was  the 
project  defeated?  Not  by  Jehovah's  personally 
coming  down  from  heaven.  Such  language  is 
evidently  highly  figurative,  and  simply  designed 
to  show  us  that  it  was  the  act  of  God.  But  God 
acted,  then  as  now,  by  human  instrumentali- 
ties, by  the  agencies  of  the  elements,  and 
by  all  of  the  operations  of  nature.  The  speech 
of  men  was  confounded,  by  which  we  may  un- 
derstand their  language  was  made  various, 
and  their  plans  were  frustrated.  They  quar- 
relled, in  fact,  and  left  off  their  project,  which 
was  to  build  a  high  tower  and  city,  and  they 
dispersed. 

Now  it  is  our  present  object  to  inquire 
whether  we  have  any  evidence  from  profane 
history,  or  from  philosophy,  to  authenticate 
and  confirm  this  singular  account.  Abydenus, 
a  Chaldean  historian,  who  lived  about  three 
hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era — as 
quoted  by  Eusebius,  who  lived  about  three 
hundred  years  after  the  Christian  era — states: 
"The  first  men,  relying  on  their  size  and 
strength,  raised  a  tower,  reaching  toward 
heaven,  in  the  place  where  Babylon  afterward 


THE   TOWER   OF   BABEL.  65 

stood;  but  that  the  winds,  assisting  the  gods, 
brought  the  building  down  on  the  heads  of  the 
builders,  out  of  the  ruins  of  which  Babylon 
itself  was  built.  Before  this  event  men  had 
spoken  the  same  language;  but  afterward,  by 
the  act  of  the  gods,  they  were  made  to  differ  in 
their  speech."*  Plato  also  reports  a  tradi- 
tion, "that  in  the  golden  age  men  and  animals 
used  one  common  language ;  but  too  ambi- 
tiously aspiring  after  immortality,  as  a  punish- 
ment, their  language  was  confounded  by  their 
Maker." 

"  The  Sibyl,"  says  Josephus,  "  also  makes  men- 
tion of  the  confusion  of  language  when  she  says 
thus:  '  When  men  were  of  one  language,  some  of 
them  built  a  high  tower ;  but  God  sent  storms  of 
wind  and  overthrew  the  tower,  and  gave  every 
one  his  peculiar  language :  hence  the  place  was 
called  Babylon.'  "f 

There  is  no  traditionary  evidence  of  the  event. 
Notwithstanding  the  revolutions  of  so  many 
centuries,  it  is  the  opinion  of  many  that  the 
ruins  of  this  Tower  of  Babel  still  exist.  It  is 
thought  that  the  famous  Temple  of  Belus, 
described  by  the  father  of  Grecian  history, 

0  Eusebius,  Praep.  Evangel.,  lib.  i,  cap.  14. 
f  Josephus,  Antiquities  of  the  Jews,  book  i,  chap.  4. 
5 


66  THE   YOUNG   MAN   ADVISED. 

Herodotus,  was  the  same ;  and  that  the  materials 
of  which  it  was  made  still  are  seen  in  the  re- 
mains called  Birs  Nimroud. 

This  temple  was  accurately  described  by  He- 
rodotus, as  he  says,  from  personal  observation. 
The  description  makes  it  equal  to  any  edifice 
now  in  the  world — far  superior  to  any  on  the 
continent  of  America.  It  had,  however,  then 
been  improved  by  successive  generations.  For 
though  at  first  its  builders  were  scattered,  after- 
ward, by  a  few,  it  was  doubtless  rebuilt,  though 
not  on  the  original  plan,  nor  for  the  original 
purpose. 

The  amount  of  wealth  said  to  have  been  ex- 
pended in  decorating  this  edifice  was  more  than 
equal  to  all  employed  in  commerce  in  one  of  our 
largest  cities.  "  Even  now  the  appearance  of 
the  tower  is  deeply  impressive,  rising  suddenly 
as  it  does  out  of  a  wide  desert  plain,  with  its 
rent,  fragmentary,  and  fire-blasted  pile,  masses 
of  vitrified  matter  lying  around,  and  the  whole 
hill  on  which  it  stands  caked  and  hardened  out 
of  the  materials  with  which  the  temple  had  been 
built.  It  is  called  Nebuchadnezzar's  prison,  from 
a  tradition  that  Nebuchadnezzar  was  tjjere  con- 
fined during  a  part  of  his  insanity,  when  he  ate 
grass  like  oxen. 


THE   TOWER    OF  BABEL.  67 

"  The  tower-like  ruin  on  the  summit  is  a  solid 
mass,  twenty-eight  feet  broad.  It  is  rent  from 
top  nearly  half-way  to  bottom.  At  its  base  lie 
several  immense  unshapen  masses  of  fine  brick 
work,  some  changed  to  a  state  of  the  hardest 
vitrification,  thus  affording  evidence  of  the 
action  of  fire,  which  seems  to  have  been  the 
lightning  of  heaven."* 

If  this  be  the  Tower  of  Babel,  and  there  seems 
to  be  reason  to  believe  it,  what  a  venerable  monu- 
ment is  it !  Bricks  bearing  the  impress  of  the 
hands  of  the  first  generation  after  the  deluge. 
The  storms  of  four  thousand  years  have  not 
been  able  to  efface  the  works  of  these  first  men ; 
and  their  monument,  begun  without  -the  divine 
blessing,  and  continued  in  idolatry,  may  per- 
haps stand  through  all  time,  a  record  of  the 
power  and  folly  of  man. 

The  confusion  of  tongues,  by  which  the  build- 
ing was  interrupted,  and  in  its  first  great  object 
thwarted,  is  a  great  mystery,  upon  which  it  can- 
not be  expected  that  men  will  now  agree.  Dr. 
Mason  Good,  and  many  others,  understand  it  in 
the  popular  sense :  that  previous  to  that  time  all 
men  spoke  one  language,  perhaps  the  Hebrew, 
or  one  similar  to  it ;  but  that  then — miraculously 
0  Kitto,  Article,  Tower  of  Babel. 


68  THE   YOUNG   MAN   ADVISED. 

and  abruptly — numerous  dialects  and  new  lan- 
guages were  introduced. 

Many  ingenious  arguments  have  been  adduced 
to  sustain  this  proposition.  The  beauty,  copious- 
ness, and  artistic  excellence  of  some  languages 
spoken  by  barbaric  tribes,  whose  highest  excel- 
lence in  the  arts  is  the  construction  of  an  arrow 
or  the  tattooing  of  the  body,  is  appealed  to  as 
evidence  of  a  primitive  language,  spoken  by 
original  and  civilized  man.  The  unity  of  prin- 
ciple and  design,  traceable  in  all  languages,  so 
that  the  grammar  of  one  language  by  simple 
translation  becomes  the  grammar  of  another, 
is  also  adduced  as  proof  of  the  same  propo- 
sition. It-  has  also  been  asserted  that  the  many 
common  terms  in  languages  spoken  by  nations 
widely  divergent,  and  between  whom  there  has 
been  no  intercourse  for  many  ages,  is  evidence 
of  the  same  fact. 

Notwithstanding  these  arguments,  strong  as 
they  are,  to  prove  the  unity  of  the  human  race, 
we  do  not  deem  it  necessary  so  to  understand 
the  narrative  which  we  are  now  considering. 
The  confusion  of  tongues  was  probably  a  con- 
fusion of  plan,  a  quarrel  among  the  projectors 
and  builders,  so  that  they  would  no  longer  "lis- 
ten to  each  other ;"  a  simple  defeat  of  their  un- 


THE   TOWER   OF   BABEL.  69 

holy  purpose,  which  was  probably  to  centralize 
power  beyond  what  was  right,  and  perhaps  to 
establish  a  national  or  universal  system  of  wor- 
ship which  was  idolatrous,  or  in  some  way  dis- 
pleasing to  God.  Shallow  indeed  must  be  our 
knowledge  of  history,  if  we  do  not  perceive  that 
such  an  institution  would  have  been  full  of  mis- 
chief, and  ruinous  to  the  welfare  of  man.  The 
power  of  the  Almighty,  therefore,  frustrated  the 
design. 


70  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 


CHAPTEK  Y. 

THE  COMMON  ORIGIN  OF  MAN. 

FROM  the  ninth,  tenth,  and  eleventh  chapters  of 
Genesis,  it  is  evidently  the  doctrine  of  the  Bible 
that  all  men  are  the  descendants  of  one  family, 
and  belong  to  one  stock.  We  assume  this  to  be 
the  doctrine  of  the  Bible,  and  one  fundamentally 
connected  with  all  its  grand  teachings. 

Like  every  great  truth,  it  has  been  called  in 
question  by  men  who  have  depended  upon  reason 
alone ;  but,  though  it  should  not  be  considered 
debatable,  but  definitely  decided,  by  all  who  re- 
ceive the  Holy  Scriptures  as  tbe  word  of  God, 
yet  it  can  be  successfully  demonstrated  by  in- 
vestigation. 

It  has  been  asserted  that  there  are  in  the 
human  family  several  distinct  species,  or,  as 
they  are  sometimes  loosely  termed,  races,  each 
of  which  must  have  had  a  separate  origin,  dis- 
tinct from  the  others  in  time  and  place.  The 
foundation  of  this  theory  is  the  acknowledged 
variety  that  does  exist  among  men.  The  most 
obvious  peculiarities  are  in  size,  ranging  from 


THE    COMMON    ORIGIN    OF    MAN.          71 

seven  feet  in  height  to  perhaps  four  feet;  in 
colour,  presenting  many  shades  from  jet  black 
to  pearly  white ;  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of 
the  hair  and  beard ;  in  the  size  and  shape  of  the 
cranium,  and  in  the  consequent  amount  and 
position  of  the  brain ;  and  also  in  some  of  the 
bones  and  muscles  of  the  body,  imparting  pecu- 
liarities to  the  gait  and  the  features;  and  in 
mental  tastes,  and  passions,  and  intellect. 

Notwithstanding  the  above  acknowledged  va- 
rieties, and  also  others  less  obvious,  reasons 
satisfactory  and  abundant  exist,  even  apart  from 
the  Bible,  for  the  firm  belief  that  all  human 
beings  are  absolutely  of  one  species,  and  sprung 
from  one  stock. 

The  several  facts,  or  classes  of  facts,  which 
lead  to  the  firm  conclusion  that  all  men  are  of 
one  species,  may  be  thrown  into  the  form  of 
reasons,  which  we  shall  proceed  successively  to 
state. 

First  reason. — If  we  assume  for  a  moment 
that  all  men  belong  to  one  species,  it  does  not 
follow  that  all  must  be  precisely  identical  in 
size,  shape,  complexion,  mental  disposition,  or 
ability.  A  certain  amount  of  dissimilarity  must 
be  considered  possible,  even  in  the  same  race. 


72  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

Members  of  the  same  family,  having  the  same 
parents,  and  educated  as  far  as  possible  under 
the  same  regimen,  are  still  various,  and  some- 
times widely  and  strangely  so.  A  forest,  sprung 
from  the  acorns  of  a  single  oak,  shall  present 
some  trees  tall  and  straight,  others  dwarfed  and 
twisted;  some  smooth  and  others  rough,  some 
spreading  and  others  narrow ;  and  in  the  whole 
grove  there  shall  not  be  found  two  precisely 
identical  in  any  of  twenty  particulars.  And  if 
we  suppose  a  part  of  those  trees  to  be  trans- 
planted, some  to  a  sandy,  others  to  a  marshy 
soil;  some  placed  on  a  limestone  foundation, 
others  on  clay;  some  in  a  cold  climate,  others 
in  a  warm;  the  variety  will  become  more 
marked,  and,  to  some,  more  surprising. 

In  like  manner  a  certain  degree  of  variety 
can  exist  among  the  men  of  a  single  race, 
sprung  from  a  single  stock;  and,  that  being 
allowed,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  great  difficulty 
(indeed  we  think  it  an  impossibility)  to  decide 
just  how  far  that  variety  can  extend. 

Let  us  suppose  that  all  the  variety  in  the 
human  family  was  no  greater  than  that  which 
does  exist  among  the  class  of  men  commonly 
called  the  Anglo-Saxon  race:  let  us  suppose 
that  the  darkest  complexion  on  earth  was  no 


THE    COMMON    ORIGIN     OF    MAN.  73 

darker  than  the  darkest  Anglo-Saxon,  the  short- 
est men  no  shorter,  the  tallest  men  no  taller, 
and  the  men  with  the  straightest  or  most  curly 
hair  with  hair  no  more  straight  or  curly  than 
the  same  extreme  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  race, — 
there  would  still  be  a  variety';  and  a  variety, 
too,  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  account  for, 
just  as  it  is  impossible  to  show  why  the  apple- 
trees,  sprung  from  the  seeds  of  a  single  apple, 
shall  all  bear  different  kinds  of  fruit,  and  not 
one  of  them  just  like  its  mother,  and  yet  all  of 
them  so  nearly  alike  as  at  once  to  be  known  as 
apples. 

Now  this  fact,  that  some  variety  could  and 
would  exist  in  one  species,  predisposes  us  to 
believe  that  all  the  present  actual  variety  does 
exist  in  one  race ;  and  this  view  is  confirmed  by 
the  obvious  reflection,  that  however  little  that 
variety  might  be,  if  it  was  the  greatest  existing, 
it  would  astonish  observers,  and  be,  in  the 
present  stage  of  physiological  knowledge,  unac- 
countable. 

The  amount  of  this  reason  is,  that  there  is  no 
antecedent  improbability  in  the  view  that  all 
men  are  sprung  from  one  race;  but  that,  on 
the  other  hand,  that  tendency  of  mind  which 
leads  us  to  select  out  of  two  supposed  causes 


74:  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

the  simpler,  would  lead  us  to  believe  in  the 
common  origin  of  man. 

Second  reason. — The  second  reason  for  our 
view  is  this : — Great  as  the  existing  differences 
between  what  may  be  termed  the  races  of  men 
are,  they  may  all  be  regarded  as  superficial  and 
not  radical  distinctions. 

By  a  superficial  distinction  we  mean  one  in 
development  and  appearance,  rather  than  in 
fact, — a  difference  in  the  strength  and  size  of 
the  parts  of  the  body,  or  in  the  activity  of  the 
faculties  of  the  mind,  rather  than  an  absolute 
deficiency  or  excess  in  either.  By  a  radical 
difference  we  mean  a  possession  by  one  party 
of  a  bodily  organ,  or  mental  faculty,  absolutely 
absent  from  the  other.  If,  for  instance,  a  race 
of  men  should  be  found  without  arms,  or  with 
only  one  arm,  or  with  three  distinct  arms,  the 
third  being  joined  to  a  particular  part  of  the 
body  with  its  own  joints  and  muscles,  we  should 
call  that  a  radical  distinction.  We  should  in 
such  a  case  be  inclined  to  suppose  that  this 
peculiar  race  might  have  had  a  separate  origin ; 
though,  even  then,  before  deciding,  we  should 
ask  for  further  teats,  which  will  be  mentioned 
hereafter.  But  no  such  radical  difference  exists. 


THE    COMMON     ORIGIN    OF    MAN.  75 

The  most  opposite  extremes  in  the  human  family- 
have  precisely  the  same  bodily  organs  and  func- 
tions, and  the  same  mental  faculties  and  powers. 
All  the  race,  for  instance,  are  coloured.  The 
skin  of  every  human  being  is  threefold,  consist- 
ing of  the  cuticle  and  the  dermis,  and  the 
middle  or  colouring  matter,  which  in  the  negro, 
and  Moor,  and  others,  is  thick,  and  in  the 
Europeans  thin;  in  the  latter  almost  trans- 
parent, in  the  former  black ;  but  it  exists  in 
both.  Precisely  so  is  it  with  the  hair.  In  the 
one  "race"  it  is  short  and  curly,  in  the  other 
long  and  straight;  but  it  is  hair  in  both,  with 
precisely  the  same  properties  and  uses,  and 
generally  developed  on  the  same  parts  of  the 
body. 

Indeed,  we  do  not  forget  that  there  is  a  com- 
mon type,  according  to  which  all  animals,  and 
especially  all  mammalia,  seem  to  be  formed; 
that  all  have  nearly,  if  not  quite,  the  same 
organs,  in  some  largely,  in  others  little  devel- 
oped ;  and  that  in  some  only  traces  or  useless 
marks  of  an  organ  can  be  found ;  still  there  are 
radical  distinctions  between  the  animals  of  any 
two  species,  by  which  they  could  be  positively 
and  unerringly  designated,  without  referring  to 
colour  or  size.  The  long  tibia  of  the  orang- 


76  JHE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

outang,  for  instance,  and  the  total  destitution  of 
the  vocal  apparatus,  or  inability  in  this  animal 
to  form  articulate  sounds,  the  shape  and  size 
of  its  head,  and  the  peculiar  formation  of  its 
hands,  distinctly  separate  it  from  the  family  of 
man. 

But  no  such  radical  distinctions  are  found 
among  the  "  races  "  or  individuals  of  men.  All 
the  differences  are  slight,  such  as  the  weakness 
of  the  lower  part  of  the  leg  of  the  African,  and 
the  prominence  of  the  muscles  forming  the  heel, 
compared  with  the  other  races.  Such  also  as 
the  prominence  of  the  cheek  bones,  and  the  flat- 
ness of  the  nose  and  roundness  of  the  eyes, 
which  appear  in  different  races. 

Perhaps,  however,  the  most  singular  and  im- 
portant peculiarity  of  all  is  the  smallness  and 
flatness  of  the  skull,  which  are  affirmed  to  char- 
acterize the  African,  and  many  of  the  darker 
races  of  men. 

This,  however,  may  be  regarded  as  a  super- 
ficial distinction,  and  may  easily  be  accounted 
for.  There  is  a  difference  between  the  average 
size  of  the  brain  and  of  the  cranium  of  the  sav- 
age tribes  of  man  and  man  in  a  more  civilized 
state,  as  has  been  successfully  shown ;  but  tho 
difference  is  no  more  marked,  nor  even  greater 


'    THE    COMMON     ORIGIN    OF   MAN.  77 

than  between  individuals  and  classes  confessedly 
of  the  same  race,  and  even  of  the  same  nation. 
There  are  as  many  as  fifteen  anatomical  differ- 
ences between  the  brain  of  an  ape  and  that  of  a 
human  being  ;  but  not  one  of  these  peculiarities 
is  absent  in  the  lowest  specimens  of  humanity. 

Third  reason. — Our  third  reason  for  the  firm 
belief  that  all  men  are  of  one  species  is  strong 
and  unanswerable,  viz. :  In  all  the  great  and  ob- 
vious and  radical  features  of  body  and  mind,  all 
men  are  identical. 

"We  shall  consider  this  first  physically.  In  the 
study  of  anatomy  it  would  be  impossible  for  the 
surgeon  to  acquire  a  correct  knowledge  of  all 
the  parts,  bones,  muscles,  nerves,  and  blood-ves- 
sels of  the  body  by  dissecting  oxen,  or  dogs,  or 
baboons,  or  any  class  whatever  of  beasts.  He 
must  dissect  the  human  body.  In  former  times, 
from  a  prejudice  against  the  minute  examination 
of  the  human  body,  physicians  confined  their 
attention  to  the  dissection  of  brutes,  and  the 
consequence  was  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  the 
science,  and  many  erroneous  opinions.  The  ob- 
vious reason  is,  because  that,  though  in  some 
respects  there  is  a  wondrous  similarity  between 
the  bodily  organs  of  many  beasts  and  man,  there 


78  THE   YOUNG   MAN    ADVISED. 

are  in  others  radical  differences.  But  no  such 
differences  exist  among  the  various  classes  of 
men.  The  body  of  a  negro  or  an  Indian  is  found 
in  all  respects  like  the  body  of  a  white  man. 

The  same  small  differences  are  found  between 
members  confessedly  of  the  same  race,  and 
sometimes  of  the  same  parentage,  as  exist  be- 
tween the  different  races  of  men.  It  would  not 
be  strange  to  find  a  white  man,  with  no  Indian 
blood  in  his  veins,  who  should  have  all  those 
peculiarities  attributed  to  the  Indian  in  a  greater 
degree  than  even  the  majority  of  Indians  them- 
selves. 

Fourth  reason. — All  the  variety  that  does  ex- 
ist among  men  may  be  satisfactorily  accounted 
for. 

Whether  the  first  human  being  was  white, 
black,  or  red,  it  may  be  impossible  to  determine ; 
but  that  all  the  present  varieties  may  have 
descended  from  one  is  not  unreasonable.  We 
do  not  attribute  this  to  climate  alone,  nor  food, 
nor  habits,  nor  any  one  cause ;  but  in  all  com- 
bined is  found  sufficient  influence.  Still  it  can- 
not justly  be  demanded  that  we  account  for  all 
this  variety :  like  many  other  acknowledged  facts, 
it  may  remain  forever  an  inscrutable  mystery. 


THE    COMMON    ORIGIN    OF   MAN.  79 

But  let  it  be  observed,  first,  that  some  variety, 
even  in  the  members  of  one  race,  is  presupposed, 
and  must  exist. 

Secondly.  Any  peculiarity,  however  caused, 
has  a  tendency  to  become  permanent,  and  to 
descend  from  parent  to  child. 

Thirdly.  A  family  thus  peculiarly  marked,  if 
separated  from  other  families,  and  allow.ed  to 
form  a  tribe,  would  impart  its  peculiarity  to  all 
its  descendants. 

In  the  earliest  ages  of  the  world  men  did  not 
mingle  as  extensively  as  now.  In  many  in- 
stances a  few  families  wandered  away  from  the 
central  body  and  formed  a  nation,  between 
whom  and  others  nearly  all  communication 
ceased;  and  they  thus  had  time  in  successive 
generations  to  render  permanent  their  separate 
type  or  development  of  human  nature. 

Why  should  it  be  thought  strange  that  Ham, 
or  one  of  his  sons,  through  causes  not  understood, 
may  have  been  of  dark  complexion  and  curly 
hair,  and  have  enstamped  upon  his  progeny  his 
peculiar  marks?  Would  it  have  been  more 
strange  than  the  varieties  now  introduced  into 
plants  by  cultivation,  and  into  animals  by 
breeding  and  by  accident  ? 

Not  many  years  ago  there  appeared  in  Eng- 


80  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

land  a  native  called  "  the  porcupine  man."  A 
part  of  his  body  was  covered  with  a  sort  of 
feathers  or  quills.  But  what  is  equally  strange, 
his  children  had  the  same  peculiarity.  Now 
would  it  have  been  incredible  if  that  family, 
isolated  from  all  others,  had  introduced  into  the 
world  a  new  division  of  human  beings,  "the 
porcupine  men  ?"  Would  such  a  result  astonish 
a  practised  gardener,  or  a  scientific  breeder  of 
stock  ?  Is  not  nature  alone,  in  everything  that 
has  generations,  continually  producing  varieties, 
deviations  from  the  common  type,  and  stamping 
them  with  permanency  f  Occasionally  a  human 
being  is  found  with  six  fingers  on  each  hand, 
and  the  peculiarity  has  been  known  to  be  trans- 
mitted :  if  efforts  had  been  made,  would  it  be 
strange  if  a  twelve-fingered  nation  of  human  be- 
ings had  been  formed  ? 

Perhaps  it  is  not  historically  known  that  all 
dogs  are  of  one  species  or  race,  yet  it  is  abun- 
dantly probable.  It  is  historically  known,  that 
greater  permanent  varieties  than  exist  among 
human  beings  have  been  brought  about  among 
domestic  animals.  This  is  true  of  the  horse,  the 
ox,  the  sheep,  and  the  hog. 

Not  longer  ago  than  A.  D.  1791,  on  the  farm 
of  one  Seth  Wright,  in  Massachusetts,  one  lamb 


THE    COMMON    ORIGIN   OF   MAN.  81 

of  a  large  flock,  without  any  known  cause,  had 
a  larger  body  and  shorter  legs  than  the  average, 
with  the  fore-legs  crooked.  He  called  it  the 
otter  sheep,  from  its  resemblance  to  the  otter. 
By  separation  and  care  a  new  breed  of  sheep 
have  thus  been  introduced  into  the  market. 
Instances  no  less  remarkable  and  definite  are 
very  numerous,  though  even  one  would  be  suffi- 
cient to  decide  a  question  of  fact. 

Fifth  reason. — In  spite  of  the  attempts  of 
philosophers  occupying  the  other  extreme  of 
this  question,  and  maintaining  that  not  only 
are  all  men  descended  from  one  stock,  but  that 
even  apes,  orang-outangs,  and  perhaps  other 
animals,  share  with  them  the  same  honour — all 
animals  having  descended  from  one — a  very 
strong  and  conclusive  fact,  decisive  of  the  ques- 
tion, is,  that  no  two  different  species  of  animals 
can  mingle  and  form  a  third  that  is  capable  of 
an  independent  existence. 

There  is  not  a  single  known  instance  of  this 
on  record.  Hybrids  are  incapable  of  a  perma- 
nent pi*opagation  of  their  species, — generally  in- 
capable of  any  propagation.  The  bearing  of  this 
argument  and  its  conclusiveness  are  so  evident 
as  to  need  no  elaboration  or  enforcement. 
6 


82  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

These  arguments  are  unanswerable,  and  must 
induce,  in  candid  minds  at  least,  an  equipoise 
of  judgment,  an  acknowledgment  that  the 
doctrine  may  be  and  probably  is  true,  and  that 
it  never  ca/n  be  proved  untrue.  But  we  have 
still  more  to  urge  in  favour  of  the  Biblical 
statement. 

It  seems  to  have  escaped  the  notice  of  philos- 
ophers, that  there  is  an  argument  of  a  higher 
and  nobler  character,  an  argument  which,  if  it 
is  not  capable  of  as  mathematical  and  rigidly 
exact  delineation,  is  yet  as  instructive  and  con- 
vincing, and  more  sublime. 

Man  has  not  only  a  body,  but  a  soul, — a  soul 
distinct  in  kind  from  the  spirit  or  mind  of  a 
beast.  If  any  deny  it,  with  them  argument 
would  be  useless,  and  controversy  folly.  It  is  a 
proposition  resting  only  upon  naked  observation, 
needing  no  proof,  and  which  cannot  be  denied 
without  a  subversion  of  the  very  elements  of 
knowledge.  That  man  is  not  the  same  as  an 
ox,  we  believe,  not  merely  because  their  bodies 
are  different,  but  because  the  one  has  a  soul 
not  belonging  to  the  other.  Souls  have  their 
distinctive  properties  and  characteristics  as  well 
as  bodies ;  and  we  propose  to  consider  all  those 
groups  or  classes  of  living  creatures,  properly 


THE    COMMON    ORIGIN    OF    MAN.  83 

and  commonly  called  human,  and  examine  the 
lineaments  of  their  spirits,  and  inquire  if  we 
cannot  find  in  them  not  only  traces,  but 
proofs  of  a  community  of  nature  and  ori- 
gin. 

In  this  inquiry  we  must  of  course  reject  all 
that  mental  development  which  other  animals 
share  in  common  with  man.  Nor  will  this  be 
deemed  unfair  by  any  candid  person ;  for  this 
degree  of  mental  development  is  possessed  by 
many  races  or  species  of  animals  known  to  be 
distinct :  and  this  degree  of  mental  development  is 
not  supposed  to  prove  anything.  Certainly  those 
claiming  to  believe  that  the  man  of  Asia  and  the 
man  of  America  are  distinct  and  independent 
species,  will  not  contend  that  the  sheep  and  the 
ox  are  one,  simply  because  the  mind  of  one  is 
nearly  the  same  as  of  the  other.  And  at  the 
same  time  we  do  not  believe  any  one  so  obtuse 
or  absurd  as  to  deny  that  a  mental  power  may  be 
as  marked  a  characteristic  of  a  race  as  any  bodily 
feature.  They  ought  not,  therefore,  to  complain 
if  in  the  argument  we  rej  ect  as  unworthy  of  con- 
sideration that  degree  of  mental  development 
which  seems  necessary  to  the  perpetuation  of  the 
species  and  the  prolongation  of  life,  for  this 
.proves  nothing.  We  shall  not  consider  the  pos- 


84  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

session  of  the  five  senses,  the  power  of  loco- 
motion, the  mental  action  necessary  for  obtaining 
food  and  providing  suitable  shelter,  nor  even  of 
forming  attachments  for  each  other,  as  having 
any  bearing  whatever  upon  the  subject.  The 
range  of  mind  which  we  propose  to  examine  is 
higher — in  a  word,  it  is  human.  There  are  in- 
deed sometimes  strange  exhibitions  of  mental 
power  in  beasts ;  strange  because  exhibited  by 
them,  and  its  very  strangeness  proves  the  evi- 
dent and  infinite  difference  between  them  and 
man,  for  the  wisest  brute  never  approximated 
the  wisdom  of  human  beings;  and  when  ex- 
amined, all  its  wisdom  will  be  found  to  belong 
to  what  may  be  called  a  low  department  of  mind, 
though  ofttimes  sufficient  to  distinguish  it  from 
other  brutes ;  while,  universally,  men  exhibit  a 
kind  of  soul  entirely  above  and  distinct  from  the 
mind  of  brutes. 

The  argument  is  simply  this :  that  all  the  so 
termed  races  of  men  now  existing  on  the  earth 
possess  and  exhibit  mental  action  and  power 
peculiar  to  them  as  men,  and  common  to  all.  In 
considering  this  argument  we  are  not  to  notice 
idiots  or  insane  persons,  any  more  than  in  con- 
ducting the  physiological  argument  we  should 
consider  lusus  naturce,  or  monstrosities,  oc- 


THE    COMMON    ORIGIN    OF    MAN.  85 

casioned  by  some  known  or  unknown  infraction 
of  the  laws  of  nature. 

In  examining  the  common  mind  of  man  we 
scarcely  know  where  to  commence;  nor  is  it 
an  important  point,  provided  only  that  a  few 
prominent  features  be  presented.  It  may  be  well, 
also,  to  observe,  that  in  some  few  instances  a 
mental  feature  may,  through  ignorance  or  vice, 
be  imperfectly  developed  or  strangely  distorted. 
The  laws  which  govern  mind,  though  inflexible 
as  those  which  govern  matter,  are  capable  of  a 
much  more  varied  application  and  effect.  The 
latitude  of  their  action  is  wider,  and  the  diversity 
of  their  product  greater.  This  fact  renders  meta- 
physics a  more  complicated  study  than  physics, 
and  should  warn  us  to  observe  closely  lest  fancy 
be  substituted  for  fact ;  but  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  law  prevails  in  mental  action,  and  that  only 
to  the  ignorant  is  it  a  maze  without  a  plan. 

That  mental  character  which  leads  to  the 
establishment  of  government,  and  which,  largely 
developed,  produces  the  organization  of  nations 
and  the  ready  submission  of  the  multitude  to 
existing  authorities,  is  common  to  all  races  of 
human  beings.  All  mankind  are  governed  by 
patriarchs,  chiefs,  sachems,  presidents,  or  kings. 
There  is  not  a  language  or  dialect  in  this  babel  of 


86  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

earth  that  has  not  a  term  synonymous  with  ruler 
or  king.  We  have  never  yet  heard  of  a  tribe  so 
degraded  as  to  be  entirely  destitute  of  govern- 
ment ;  indeed,  the  very  word  tribe  presupposes 
it.  And  where  have  human  beings  been  found 
existing  in  a  motley,  incoherent  mass  ?  Should 
such  be  found,  they  would  be  so  small  a  minority, 
and  so  evidently  dehumanized  by  some  particu- 
lar circumstance,  as  to  be  no  more  worthy  of 
affecting  our  opinion  on  the  unity  of  the  human 
race  than  the  occupants  of  our  insane  asylum.  If 
it  be  said  that  the  bee,  and  the  beaver,  and  some 
other  animals,  have  an  organized  government, 
we  acknowledge  it,  but  reply  that  in  this  respect 
only  they  resemble  man,  and  not  in  others,  while 
animals  generally  do  not  thus  resemble  him  ;  and 
in  the  few  species  that  do  exhibit  this  peculiarity, 
it  is  the  result  of  instinct  and  not  of  reason.  The 
difference  between  the  two  is  well  known.  In- 
stinct is  a  blind  undeviating  result  of  an  incom- 
prehensible impulse,  entirely  different  from  the 
varied  effects  flowing  from  the  exercise  of  the 
reason  of  man.  Is  not  this  fact,  then,  that  men 
universally  have  a  government,  indicative  of  a 
common  nature  in  man  ? 

Another  fact  of  a  similar  character,  is  the 
universal  practice  among  men  of  assisting  or 


THE    COMMON    OKIGIN    OF    MAN.  87 

regulating  nature  in  the  production  of  food,  by 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  If  this  is  not  uni- 
versal, it  is  practiced  by  a  vast  majority  of  the 
human  family,  including  the  most  diverse  in 
appearances  and  customs.  We  are  not  per- 
mitted in  this  argument  to  state  that  agricul- 
ture was  the  employment  of  the  first  man, 
for  the  subject  is  to  be  examined  wholly  in- 
dependently of  any  information  communicated 
by  the  Bible.  But  it  is  a  fact  patent  to  the 
observation  of  all,  that  both  in  torrid,  tropical 
and  frigid  zones,  both  among  the  most  de- 
graded and  enlightened  men,  the  culture  of 
the  earth  is  a  characteristic  of  man.  And  as 
every  fact  embodies  a  thought,  this  great  fact 
must  be  an  exponent  of  a  mental  feature  com- 
mon to  the  whole  human  family.  Such,  also,  is 
the  practice  of  taming  many  of  the  lower  ani- 
mals, and  subjecting  them  to  his  service.  The 
reindeer  of  the  Siberian,  the  elephant  of  the 
Asiatic  and  African,  the  camel  of  the  desert,  the 
horse  and  ox  of  the  European,  and  the  dog  of 
every  clime,  by  their  service,  exhibit  a  common 
tendency  in  man.  to  seek  his  own  convenience 
and  pleasure  through  them. 

These  and  other  similar  practices,  such  as  the 
wearing  of  clothing  for  the  concealment  and 


88  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

protection  of  the  body,  prove  the  existence  of  a 
common  reason  in  all  human  beings,  which  en- 
ables them  to  exercise  a  voluntary  sovereignty 
over  nature  for  their  own  support  and  happi- 
ness, and  thus  betokens  a  common  nature  and 
origin. 

The  mental  aspect  of  the  argument  from  lan- 
guage is  often  strangely  overlooked.  Waiving 
for  the  present  the  argument  deduced  from 
the  common  character  of  languages,  and  the 
universal  prevalence  of  some  important  terms, 
we  urge  that  the  la/re  fact  that  all  human  be- 
ings can  articulate,  and  do  convey  to  each  other 
thoughts  and  emotions  by  words,  is  no  trivial 
evidence  of  a  common  nature  and  origin.  Man 
is  a  talking  animal,  and  he  alone  can  claim 
that  appellation.  Now,  to  be  able  to  converse, 
as  every  tribe  of  human  beings  can,  implies  not 
only  the  possession  of  a  peculiar  physical  ap- 
paratus for  the  utterance  of  sounds,  but  also  of 
mental  ability,  enjoyed  alone  by  man  on  earth. 
The  grammatical  structure  of  the  meanest  and 
feeblest  dialect  requires  the  power  of  general- 
ization and  abstraction  involving  a  noble  exer- 
cise of  the  pure  reason, — and  this  power  is 
possessed  by  all  men.  Still  further,  each  is 
capable  of  learning  the  language  of  the  other. 


THE   COMMON    ORIGIN    OF   MAN.  89 

The  Chinese  can  change  his  stinted,  jerking 
dialect  for  the  more  copious  and  exact  language 
of  the  English ;  the  mellifluous  Italian  can  learn 
the  harsh  guttural  of  the  Ojibway.  The  ex- 
periment has  been  tried  on  an  extended  scale, 
and  we  know  that  any  man  can  acquire  the 
dialect  of  any  other,  even  as  we  know  that  iron 
is  magnetic  or  that  water  will  freeze.  Who  can 
fail  to  see  in  this  an  evidence  of  the  common 
nature  of  man? 

The  common  nature  of  man  may  be  seen, 
also,  from  the  univeral  possession  of  what  may 
be  termed  the  mathematic  talent.  But  few,  if 
any,  tribes  of  men  have  been  found  that  were 
not  accustomed  to  enumerate,  at  least  to  a 
limited  extent;  and  by  far  the  majority  have 
names  for  the  numbers  up  to  ten,  and  by  tens 
to  hundreds  and  thousands;  and  all,  without 
exception,  are  capable  of  learning  the  art. 

All  these  practices  prove  the  possession  of 
reason,  and  the  facts  still  further  to  prove  this 
are  almost  innumerable.  Besides  this,  we  might 
refer  to  the  almost  if  not  quite  universal  preva- 
lence of  certain  passions,  such  as  the  love  of 
approbation  or  vanity,  evinced  by  the  gaudy 
dress  of  the  savage  and  the  princely  palace  of 
the  civilized, — the  heroism  of  him  who  fights 


90  THE    YOUNG     MAN    ADVISED. 

with  the  tomahawk,  and  of  him  who  wields  the 
sword, — a  fondness  for  amusement,  attested  by 
the  war-dances  of  the  barbarian,  the  athletic 
games  of  the  half-civilized,  the  festivals  and 
shows  of  the  enlightened ;  but  we  hasten  on  to 
what  we  consider  by  far  the  highest  and  most 
convincing  proof  of  the  spiritual  unity  of  the 
human  race.  And  this  is  the  universal  preva- 
lence of  the  religious  element  of  character  in 
man.  No  brute  ever  yet  felt  a  religious  emo- 
tion ;  no  sane  man  ever  lived  incapable  of  feeling 
it.  Asiatic,  African,  European,  and  American 
agree  in  this.  What  sadder  description  of  the 
degradation  of  a  tribe  of  human  beings  can  be 
given  than  this :  they  appear  to  be  destitute  of 
a  religion.  Wholly  destitute  of  some  faint  traces 
of  religious  worship,  none  have  been  found. 
The  African  worships  his  fetish,  the  Hottentot  a 
snail ;  while  the  Chinese  bows  before  the  image 
of  his  ancestors,  and  the  Indian  before  the  god 
of  the  hunter  and  of  war;  and  all  alike  are 
capable  of  learning  the  sublime  doctrines  of  the 
Bible,  and  the  simple  story  of  the  cross.  This 
we  regard  as  the  crowning  proof  of  the  spiritual 
unity  of  the  human  race.  The  Bible  has  already 
been  printed  in  scores  of  languages,  and  in  each 
has  found  intelligent  readers  and  listeners,  who 


THE    COMMON    ORIGIN     OF    MAN.  91 

have  bowed  before  God  and  believed  in  Jesus 
Christ.  Missionaries  have  visited  every  clime, 
and  many  if  not  all  races  of  men ;  and  though 
besotted  by  error,  and  clouded  by  superstition, 
in  all  souls  is  found  a  nature  responsive  to  its 
grand  promises  and  its  authoritative  claims. 
"Parthians,  and  Medes,  and  Elamites,  and  the 
dwellers  in  Mesopotamia  and  in  Judea  and 
Cappadocia,  in  Pontus  and  Asia,  Phrygia  and 
Pamphylia,  in  Egypt,  and  in  the  parts  of  Lybia 
about  Gyrene,  and  strangers  of  Rome,  Jews  and 
proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians,  do  hear  " — and 
understand  when  they  hear — "them  speak  in 
their  own  tongues  the  wonderful  works  of 
God."  The  highest  exercise  of  the  soul  is  the 
religious  exercise,  and  of  this  all  are  capable ; 
and  of  this  all  nations  that  have  not  the  true, 
have  a  counterfeit.  This  proves  the  unity  of 
the  human  race.  Their  souls  exhibit  every 
degree  of  development,  but  in  spirit  they  are 
one.  The  difference  between  the  greatest  ex- 
tremes is  scarcely  greater  than  between  the 
greatest  extremes  in  those  acknowledged  to  be 
of  one  race,  and  we  therefore  feel  confirmed  in 
the  Scriptural  doctrine,  that  "God  hath  made 
of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men,  for  to  dwell  on 
all  the  face  of  the  earth." 


92  THE     YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

If  it  be  asked  why,  then,  any  have  doubted 
this  doctrine,  the  answer  must  be  that  they 
have  studied  the  physical  rather  than  the  men- 
tal and  spiritual  character  of  man.  The  variety 
in  complexion,  height,  features,  and  form  has 
puzzled  them,  though  it  is  easy  to  find  persons 
in  any  one  race,  according  to  their  own  classifi- 
cation, differing  from  each  other  nearly  or  quite 
as-  much  as  the  average  types  of  the  different 
races  as  classified  by  them.  Therefore  we  find 
that  the  untenable  dogma  of  a  variety  of  races 
is  entertained  principally  by  men  who  study 
merely  nature  and  not  mind,  matter  and  not 
spirit,  the  body  and  not  the  soul.  No  metaphy- 
sician or  philosopher,  truly  so  called,  has  ever 
inculcated  or  indulged  the  notion. 

To  the  views  we  have  presented,  one  plausible 
objection  may  be  made.  It  may  be  acknowl- 
edged that  all  men  have  a  common  spiritual 
nature,  but  it  may  be  affirmed  that  nevertheless 
their  origin  is  diverse.  In  other  words,  God 
has  created  at  different  times  different  races, 
of  the  same  mental  and  spiritual  character  and 
capabilities.  To  this  we  reply,  it  is  a  mere  un- 
tenable hypothesis,  the  anti-scriptural  nature  of 
which  should  condemn  it.  But  besides  being 
anti-scriptural,  it  is  also  unphilosophical.  It  is 


THE    COMMON     ORIGIN     OF    MAN.  93 

an  acknowledged  principle  of  philosophy,  that 
when  two  causes  equally  satisfactory  of  any 
phenomenon  are  suggested,  we  must  always 
choose  the  simpler.  It  would  be  superfluous  on 
the  part  of  the  Almighty  to  have  created  five  or 
five  hundred  races — and  if  there  is  more  than 
one  there  may  be  five  hundred — of  men,  all  alike 
in  nature,  when  one  race  alone,  by  migration 
and  increase,  would  answer  the  purpose.  Indeed, 
the  notion  of  a  multiplex  origin  of  man  is  a  hasty 
conclusion  from  narrow  observation,  a  figment 
of  fancy,  which  rears  towering  structures  on  very 
narrow  foundations. 

Behold,  therefore,  the  absurdities  into  which 
this  view  must  lead.  We  are  gravely  inform- 
ed by  a  theorist*  that  the  modern  inhabitants  of 
Europe  consist  of  five  or  six — why  not  fifty  ? — 
races,  utterly  incapable  of  permanent  mixture  or 
consolidation;  that  the  condition  of  Asia  is  no 
better  ;  and  that  America,  where,  alas !  men  of 
all  races  are  congregated  together,  as  in  some 
heterogeneous  menagerie  of  strange  animals,  the 
present  inhabitants  are  doomed  by  an  unnatural 
combination  of  races  to  utter  destruction ;  while 
the  handful  of  savages  remaining,  originally  be- 
gotten on  and.  from  the  soil,  shall  yet  arise  in  the 

P  The  Races  of  Men,  by  Robert  Knox. 


94:  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

majesty  of  their  nature,  and  roam  again  with 
their  buffaloes  over  the  debris  of  its  present  in- 
truders !  And  to  support  this  strange  theory, 
history  must  step  aside,  facts  must  be  ignored, 
philosophy  must  be  despised,  and  common  sense 
forgotten. 

We  are  not  unaware  of  the  physical  objections 
to  the  unity  of  the  human  race,  nor  of  the  plau- 
sible arguments  which  are  adduced  against  it ; 
we  have  surveyed  them  carefully,  and  believe 
that  the  opposite  view  introduces  ten  difficulties 
without  removing  one,  and  demands  a  belief 
in  enormous  and  purposeless  miracles,  not  only 
opposed  to  universal  experience,  but  utterly  be- 
yond the  credulity  of  a  well-trained  reason  and 
philosophic  mind.  It  is  the  same  hasty  deduc- 
tion which  led  the  ancient  heathen  to  believe  in 
"  gods  many  "  instead  of  the  one  God ;  T;hat  leads 
equally  hasty  thinkers  to  believe  in  races  many 
and  many  creations,  instead  of  one  human 
family,  the  individuals  of  which  have  been  sub- 
jected for  ages  to  various  influences,  which  have 
left  permanent  and  inherited  traces,  the  origin 
and  classification  of  which  are  yet  to  be  attained 
by  true  philosophical  inquiry  and  research.  The 
notion  of  diversity  is  a  plunge  backward  in  sci- 
ence, and  is  directly  opposed  to  that  c^nprehen- 


THE     COMMON    ORIGIN    OF   MAN.  95 

sive  generalization  which  leads  the  true  philoso- 
pher to  seek  unity  instead  of  complexity  of  laws 
and  causes,  and  to  anticipate  from  a  simplicity  of 
means  an  endless  diversity  of  effects. 

The  bearing  of  this  subject  on  the  great  enter- 
prise of  reform,  the  perfection  of  man  or  of 
Christianity,  the  conversion  of  the  world,  all  can 
see.  As  an  immortal  agent  on  probation,  every 
man  is  our  brother,  every  woman  our  sister. 
Marked  differences  there  may  be,  both  in  physi- 
cal, mental,  and  moral  development — indeed,  the 
true  theory  demands  these  differences,  and  at- 
tributes them  all  to  the  effects  of  education  and 
circumstance — but  as  moral  beings,  accounta- 
ble to  God  and  bound  to  the  bar  of  Christ,  all 
are  equal.  In  Adam  all  fell ;  Jesus  Christ  died 
for  all.  The  Bible  is  designed  for  all,  and  all 
may  by  the  Holy  Spirit  be  rendered  holy,  and 
meet  for  everlasting  communion  with  God. 
Already  individuals  in  many  races  have  been 
truly  humanized  and  exalted  by  the  blessed  in- 
fluence of  the  true  religion.  The  first  disciples 
of  Christ  were  Jews,  Greeks,  and  Komans. 
Africans  and  Goths,  Saxons  and  Celts,  have 
been  humbled  by  its  strict  exposure  of  their  de- 
pravity, and  converted  by  its  sovereign  efficacy. 
In  later  times,  through  the  instruction  of  mis- 


yb  THE     YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

sionaries,  Ethiopians,  the  aborigines  of  America, 
Orientalists,  Greenlanders,  Chinese,  and  Hotten- 
tots, have  learned  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  been 
cheered  by  the  "  good  tidings  of  great  joy." 

There  is  no  bar  to  the  admission  of  the  gospel 
in  any  race,  for  with  Christ  there  is  neither  Jew 
nor  Greek,  male  nor  female,  bond  nor  free! 
Even  now  prayers  are  ascending  to  God  and  his 
Son  in  many  languages,  and  will  yet,  we  trust, 
in  all ;  and  in  the  sublime  vision  of  heaven  de- 
scribed by  the  E-evelator,  we  see  "  a  great  mul- 
titude which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  na- 
tions, and  kingdoms,  and  people,  and  tongues," 
standing  before  the  throne  and  giving  praise  to 
God  and  the  Lamb.  The  Lord  hasten  the  time 
when  the  whole  earth  shall  be  an  ante-chamber 
of  heaven!  .For  this  consummation,  all  Chris- 
tians should  earnestly  labour  and  devoutly  pray. 


THE    CALL    OF    ABRAHAM.  97 


CHAPTEE  YI. 

THE  CALL   OF    ABRAHAM. 

THE  opening  act  of  the  grand  scheme  of  the 
world's  regeneration,  according  to  the  Bible,  was 
the  call  of  Abraham.  Before  we  examine  it, 
a  few  preliminary  considerations  may  be  prof- 
itable. 

What  would  be  the  condition  of  man  without 
any  revelation  from  his  Creator?  Is  human  in- 
fancy itself  more  helpless  and  hopeless  than  the 
race  would  be,  destitute  of  divine  instruction  ? 
The  infant  has  instincts  which,  met  by  the  care 
of  the  mother,  enable  it  to  live ;  so  man  as  a 
race  has  instincts,  which,  met,  and  confirmed, 
and  guided  by  revelation,  elevate  and  ennoble 
him ;  an  instinct  to  acknowledge  God,  an  instinct 
to  worship,  to  love  right  and  hate  wrong,  to 
long  for  an  immortality,  and  to  provide  for  the 
unending  future.  These  are  instincts  character- 
istic of  man,  peculiar  to  him,  sometimes  feeble, 
sometimes  unnaturally  active ;  always  useless, 
generally  injurious,  unless  responded  to  and 
7 


98  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

guided  by  a  pure  system  of  religious  belief, — such 
a  system  as  the  Bible  contains,  such  a  system  as 
man  could  not  invent,  still  less  authenticate; 
such  a  system,  in  fine,  as  God  alone  could 
give. 

Now,  has  God  left  the  world  without  a  reve- 
lation ?  Is  it  not  a  want  of  man  ?  Is  it  not  an 
essential  to  human  perfection  ?  Is  not  the  world 
an  incomplete  machine  without  it? — the  very  gov- 
erning power  wanting,  and,  consequently,  the 
more  rapid  its  motion,  the  higher  its  develop- 
ment, so  much  the  more  evident  and  dangerous 
its  imperfection. 

The  Utopian  schemes  of  infidelity,  to  harmon- 
ize and*  bless  the  world  by  the  reign  of  reason, 
have,  over  and  over  again,  even  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  their  enthusiastic  votaries,  been  proved 
more  delusive  than  a  sick  man's  dreams.  The 
ambition  of  these  votaries  was  good;  but  that 
even  they  stole  from  the  Bible.  You  may  search 
the  history  of  the  world  downward  from  its  be- 
ginning, and  previous  to  Christ  and  his  apostles, 
you  will  not  find  the  name  of  one  who  either 
laboured  for,  or  expressed  a  desire  for  blessing 
the  whole  world.  Reformers  there  were,  on  a 
small  scale,  like  Confucius,  Zoroaster,  Solon,  and 
others ;  but  they  never  extended  their  vision  be- 


THE    CALL    OF    ABRAHAM.  99 

yond  the  confines  of  the  nation  that  gave  them 
birth.  Even  the  Hebrew  prophets,  who  foretold 
the  redemption  of  the  world,  could  not  explain 
the  method,  and  gave  no  exhortations  to  be  act- 
ive in  bringing  it  about.  It  was  reserved  for 
the  Nazarene  and  his  fishermen-apostles  first  to 
give  body  to  the  thought,  and  to  burn  with  the 
enterprise.  False  reformers  since  have  stolen 
the  thought,  perverted  the  emotion,  insanely  at- 
tempted to  accomplish  the  enterprise,  and  gene- 
rally ended  in  despair  for  themselves,  and  an  in- 
crease of  the  evils  of  others. 

Yoltaire  was  one  of  these  ardent  pseudo- 
reformers;  but  hear  the  wail  of  agony  which, 
in  his  matured  experience,  he  deliberately  pub- 
lished to  the  world : — 

"  Who  can  without  horror  consider  the  whole 
earth  as  the  empire  of  destruction  ?  It  abounds 
in  wonders ;  it  abounds  also  in  victims :  it  is  a 
vast  field  of  carnage  and  contagion!  In  man 
there  is  more  wretchedness  than  in  all  other 
animals  put  together.  He  smarts  continually 
under  two  scourges,  which  other  animals  never 
feel, — anxiety  and  listlessness  in  appetence, 
which  make  him  weary  of  himself.  He  loves 
life,  and  yet  he  knows  that  he  must  die.  If  he 
enjoy  some  transient  good,  for  .which  he  is 


100  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

thankful  to  Heaven,  he  suffers  various  evils,  and 
is  at  last  devoured  by  worms.  This  knowledge 
is  his  fatal  prerogative;  other  animals  have  it 
not.  He  feels  it  every  moment  rankling  and 
corroding  in  his  breast ;  yet  he  spends  the  tran- 
sient moment  of  his  existence  in  diffusing  the 
misery  that  he  suffers;  in  cutting  the  throats 
of  his  fellow-creatures  for  pay ;  in  cheating  and 
being  cheated ;  in  robbing  and  being  robbed ; 
in  serving  that  he  may  command;  and  in  re- 
penting of  all  that  he  does.  The  bulk  of  man- 
kind are  nothing  more  than  a  crowd  of  wretches, 
equally  criminal  and  unfortunate ;  and  the  globe 
contains  carcasses  rather  than  men.  I  tremble, 
upon  a  review  of  this  dreadful  picture,  to  find 
that  it  implies  a  complaint  against  Providence ; 
and  I  wish  that  I  had  never  been  born." 

Such  is  the  wise  conclusion  of  the  rejecter  of 
the  Bible ;  such  must  be  the  conclusion  of 
every  reasonable  man,  not  destitute  of  heart, 
who  rejects  the  word  of  God.  Without  a  Bible, 
good  were  it  for  the  world  if  it  had  never  been 
made !  Take  the  main-spring  out  of  a  watch, 
and  hand  the  watch  to  a  man  who  had  never 
seen  such  an  instrument  before,  and  ask  him  the 
use  of  it,  and  what  would  he  reply  ?  He  takes 
it,  examines  it,  and  answers:  "So  far  as  I  can 


THE    CALL    OF    ABRAHAM.  101 

see,  it  is  of  no  value.  There  is  beauty  about  it, 
skill  exhibited  in  its  structure,  but  it  will  answer 
no  purpose.  You  cannot  make  the  machinery 
move,  or,  if  you  succeed,  it  moves  fitfully,  ir- 
regularly, and,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  it  is  a  useless 
expenditure  of  wisdom ;  probably  the  work  of 
some  idle  person,  designed  merely  to  gratify 
curiosity,  or  to  while  away  the  time."  But 
restore  the  main-spring,  and  it  is  an  excellent, 
useful  thing. 

What  the  watch  is  without  its  governing  part, 
this  world  would  be  without  a  revelation  from 
God.  Remove  a  knowledge  of  Christ  from  the 
world,  and  it  becomes  a  grand,  sublime,  vain, 
and  purposeless  structure, — a  huge  monument  of 
the  folly  of  God !  Restore  Christ,  and  it  becomes 
a  glorious,  harmonious  exhibition  of  the  justice, 
and  goodness,  and  wisdom  of  God.  Believe  it 
who  can,  that  God  hath  not  spoken  to  man ! 

There  is,  therefore,  an  antecedent  probability 
that  a  revelation  would  be  given  to  man !  Man 
naturally  seeks  it,  looks  around  for  it;  if  he 
does  not  find  it,  pitches  upon  some  counterfeit, 
and  is  only  induced  to  reject  the  true  one,  or 
pervert  it,  by  an  insane  attachment  to  vice 
which  it  condemns,  or  an  unwillingness  to  prac- 
tise the  virtue  which  it  enjoins. 


102  THE     YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

If,  then,  a  revelation  is  an  essential  part  of 
this  universe,  and  therefore  must  exist,  what 
should  be  our  feelings  when  examining  the  only 
system  which  can,  to  an  intelligent  person,  urge 
any  claims  to  be  the  true  one  ? 

It  should  not  surprise  us  if  the  method  pur- 
sued by  God,  in  the  government  of  the  world, 
should  not  immediately  commend  itself  to  our 
approval. 

"  What  can  we  reason  but  from  what  we  know  ?" 

The  power  of  reason  is  limited  to  certain  sub- 
jects, and  even  upon  them  needs  practice.  The 
child  is  puzzled  by  a  simple  proposition,  and 
when  he  reaches  manhood  remains  finite ;  and 
though  keen  and  discriminating  upon  some  sub- 
jects then,  is  still  infantile  on  others.  Who 
withholds  the  praise  of  genius  from  the  poet 
who  writes  the  -songs  of  a  nation,  or  from  the 
statesman  who  guides  its  government?  But 
are  the  poet  and  orator  necessarily  able  to  act 
as  skilful  engineers  to  lead  an  army  into  battle, 
to  paint  a  portrait,  to  erect  a  temple  ?  A  man 
may  be  a  prodigy  on  a  few  branches  of  thought, 
but  feeble  upon  others ;  and  if  he  would  study 
them  he  must  begin  where  other  children  be- 
gin, at  the  elements,  and  proceed  by  regular 


THE    CALL    OF    ABRAHAM.  103 

advance  to  the  end.  How  sage  and  dogmatic 
were  the  objections  to  steam  navigation  when 
first  proposed !  Did  not  one  of  the  leaders  in 
science  demonstrate  to  his  satisfaction,  that  the 
crossing  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  by  a  steamship 
is  an  absolute  and  eternal  impossibility  ?  Every 
great  truth  and  great  project  is  met  by  the 
strongest  and  strangest  objections  from  those 
who  do  not  understand  it. 

Is  it  strange,  then,  that  men  "dressed  in  a 
little  brief  authority  "  of  science  should  criticise 
what  must  have  been  forever  beyond  their  im- 
agination, and  is  beyond  their  imitation, — God's 
plan  of  governing  the  world?  What  would  be 
the  condition  of  the  physical  universe  if  sub- 
jected to  the  control  of  our  natural  philoso- 
phers? Would  earthquakes  be  banished,  or 
be  perpetual?  Would  the  aurora  borealis,  of 
which  men  can  see  no  use,  and  meteoric  showers 
and  epidemics  be  continued?  And  would  the 
government  of  the  intellectual  and  religious 
universe  be  any  better  if  committed  to  our 
moral  philosophers?  The  simple  fact  is,  that 
man  is  not  competent  to  criticise  either  nature 
or  revelation.  His  objections  are  the  crudities 
of  infancy,  and  must  make  the  angels,  as  they 
do  good  men,  either  laugh  or  weep. 


.:« 


THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 


The  simple  question  is,  Is  the  Bible  a  revela- 
tion ?  If  so,  study  and  obey  it. 

Again ;  many  of  the  designs  of  God  are  long 
concealed,  or  developed  only  in  a  way  and  place 
which  seem  to  man  remote, — and  some  are  not 
yet  developed. 

That  little  property  of  water,  once  deemed 
miraculous,  and  still  as  wonderful,  though  called 
natural, — its  expansion  during  freezing, — may 
have  lain  dormant  and  unexercised,  and  there- 
fore useless,  for  millions  of  ages,  as  it  is  now  in 
many  parts  of  the  world.  An  angel  witnessing 
the  process  of  creation,  if  such  a  fancy  is  justi- 
fiable, might  have  wondered  that  the  Creator 
should  endow  it  with  this  useless  attribute  ;  but 
when  the  earth  became  cooled,  and  water  began 
to  freeze,  then  it  would  appear  that  the  property 
was  essential  to  render  the  earth  inhabitable. 

If  we  have  a  correct  idea  of  the  Bible,  no  act 
recorded  in  it  is  trivial.  It  may  appear  so,  but  in 
ages  to  come  it  may  show  itself  to  be  a  master- 
stroke of  Omnipotence  to  shape  the  character 
of  the  ages. 

The  early  religion  of  the  world  was  genuine, 
not  an  invention  of  man,  and  therefore  it  was 
pure.  Sabianism — the  worship  of  the  celestial 
bodies,  and  the  worship  of  fire,  and,  in  time,  of 


THE    CALL    OF    ABRAHAM.  105 

images — gradually  took  the  place  of  true  relig- 
ion. Idolatry  puts  no  restraint  upon  evil  passions, 
and  fast  becomes  wedded  to  immorality. 

At  this  juncture  God  interposed  to  save  the 
world  from  a  second  universal  deluge  of  vice, 
which  would  have  demanded  a  second  universal 
deluge  of  water.  He  called  Abraham  to  be  the 
"father  of  the  faithful,"  the  defender  of  true 
worship  and  morality.  He  was  commanded, 
supernaturally,  to  leave  his  native  land  and 
countrymen,  and  enter  Canaan,  which  was  to  be 
his  and  his  descendants'  forever.  In  obedience 
to  this  call,  Abraham,  with  his  family,  left  Ur 
— probably  a  place  now  called  Urfan,  or  Edessa, 
in  Assyria — and  travelled  a  few  miles  toward 
Haran  or  Charran,*  where  he  tarried  fourteen 
years.  Then,  agreeably  to  another  call,  he  left 
his  brother  ISTahor,  and  departed  again  with  his 
wife,  and  his  nephew  Lot.  When  he  started,  he 
knew  not  whither  he  was  tending,  nor  where  he 
should  stop.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  his 
guide,  and  he  determined  to  travel  by  day,  and 
feed  his  flock  by  night,  until  he  was  informed, 
"  This  is  the  place  that  the  Lord  hath  given  to 

0  Haran  is  on  a  flat  and  sandy  plain,  on  a  small  river  by 
the  same  name,  running  into  the  Euphrates,  in  the  north- 
west of  Mesopotamia.  It  still  bears  its  old  name. 


106  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

you  and  your  posterity  forever."  After  travel- 
ling four  hundred  miles  he  was  permitted  to 
stop,  when  he  found  himself  in  a  beautiful 
country,  already  partly  occupied  by  a  degraded, 
half-savage,  and  exceedingly  wicked  people. 
From  these  he  was  to  keep  separate,  and  the 
promise  was  given  him :  "  I  will  make  of  thee 
a  great  nation,  and  I  will  bless  thee,  and  make 
thy  name  great ;  and  thou  shalt  be  a  blessing : 
and  I  will  bless  them  that  bless  thee,  and  curse 
them  that  curse  thee:  and  in  thee  shall  all 
families  of  the  earth  be  blessed." 

Behold  the  reward  of  holiness!  Is  there  a 
more  remarkable  passage  in  the  Bible  than  that? 
Language  cannot  convey  a  greater  promise 
than  that :  all  that  a  man  can  imagine  of  good 
is  in  it. 

And  how  improbable  it  was  that  this  should 
be  accomplished !  Look  at  the  scene  as  it  was 
three  thousand  years  ago.  The  old  man  (for  he 
was  at  least  seventy  years  of  age)  had  been 
worshipping  God,  with  his  wife  and  servants ;  he 
was  in  a  strange  land,  unable  to  protect  himself 
should  enemies  attack  him,  with  no  son  to  bear 
his  name,  or  to  inherit  his  property,  or  to  per- 
petuate his  family ;  and  yet  the  Lord  says :  "  I 
will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation,  and  I  will 


THE    CALL    OF    ABRAHAM.  107 

bless  thee,  and  make  thy  name  great ;  and  thou 
shalt  be  a  blessing :  and  I  will  bless  them  that 
bless  thee,  and  curse  them  that  curse  thee : 
and  in  thee  shall  all  families  of  the  earth  be 
blessed." 

In  process  of  time  all  these  predictions  were 
strangely  fulfilled.  A  son  of  his  old  age,  Isaac, 
was  the  one  through  whom  he  was  to  become 
the  father  of  a  great  nation.  At  least  three 
million  two  hundred  thousand  of  his  descendants 
are  now  in  the  world, — many  of  them  in  our  own 
continent,  —  leaving  entirely  out  of  view  the 
great  nation  of  Arabians,  who  are  descendants 
of  Abraham.  His  name  too  is  great;  his  his- 
tory is  known  in  many  lands.  Though  a  simple 
farmer  and  shepherd,  millions  of  people  are  ac- 
quainted with  his  character;  and  his  name  is 
perhaps  repeated  more  frequently  than  that  of 
any  other  human  being.  The  Jew,  the  Christian, 
and  Mohammedan  join  in  giving  him  praise,  and 
delight  to  be  called  his  children. 

There  is  abundant  traditional  evidence  of  his 
character,  and  his  name  is  often  mentioned  in 
ancient  profane  history.. 

Berosus  was  an  historian-,  a  Babylonian,  and  a 
priest.  He  lived  about  three  hundred  years  be- 
fore Christ,  and  his  history  bears  every  mark  of 


108  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

truth.  In  one  of  the  fragments  of  his  writings 
still  extant  is  found  this  testimony  concerning 
Abraham:  "After  the  deluge,  in  the  tenth 
generation,  was  a  certain  man  among  the  Chal- 
deans, renowned  for  his  justice  and  great  ex- 
ploits, and  for  his  skill  in  the  celestial  sciences."* 

Many  other  ancient  writers  have  also  men- 
tioned Abraham ;  but  their  information  seems 
chiefly  to  have  been  built  upon  what  is  found  in 
the  Bible. 

The  events  which  happened  to  Abraham  when 
in  Egypt,  and  their  striking  confirmation  by  the 
late  discoveries  of  the  ancient  history  of  that  pe- 
culiar people,  we  shall  refer  to  in  a  subsequent 
chapter.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  brief  sketch 
of  the  call  of  Abraham  in  the  word  of  God  is 
one  of  its  most  interesting  portions,  since  with 
him  began  that  series  of  special  revelations 
which  together  constitute  the  word  of  God,  the 
foundation  of  our  holy  religion.  There  are,  in- 
deed, incidentally  mentioned,  some  great  relig- 
ious truths  in  the  history  preceding  his  time; 
and  there  is  abundant  evidence  that  the  early 
world  was  in  the  possession  of  a  genuine  and 

0  The  Ancient  Fragments,  containing  what  remains  of  the 
writings  of  Sanchoniathon,  Berosus,  Abydenus,  Megasthenee, 
and  Manetho.  Translated  by  J.  P.  Gary.  Lond.,  1828,  p.  36. 


THE     CALL    OF     ABRAHAM.  109 

complete  theory  of  true  religion  from  the  very 
beginning. 

The  last  prediction  given  to  Abraham,  "  In 
thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  bless- 
ed," has  been  accomplished  by  the  redemption 
through  Christ,  by  which  we  may  be  made  par- 
takers of  everlasting  life. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  portray  at  some 
length  the  character  of  this  good  man,  but  it 
does  not  comport  with  our  design.  A  few  ob- 
servations will  not  be  inappropriate.  His  great 
characteristic  was  faith.  He  never  doubted  a 
promise  of  God.  He  exhibited  this  in  his  emi- 
gration. He  exhibited  this  especially  in  the  of- 
fering of  his  son  Isaac.  According  to  Scripture, 
God  designed  to  test  Abraham's  faith,  and  there- 
fore commanded  him  to  offer  up  his  son  Isaac 
as  a  sacrifice.  "Whether  or  not  Abraham  had 
ever  witnessed  such  a  truly  horrid  sight  as  a 
human  being  put  to  death  by  his  companions  as 
a  sacrifice,  we  cannot  tell.  On  either  suppo- 
sition, it  must  have  required  strong  confidence  in 
God  to  obey  him ;  but  he  faltered  not.  Though 
the  journey  was  continued  three  days  before  he 
reached  the  required  spot,  and  while  travelling 
on  with  his  beloved  son  his  meditations  must 
have  been  constantly  upon  this  one  subject,  he 


110  THE     YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

turned  not  back.  He  piled  up  the  wood  to  con- 
sume the  offering,  and  took  the  knife  in  his  hand 
to  slay  his  son.  "  By  faith  Abraham,  when  he 
was  tried,  offered  up  Isaac ;  and  he  that  had  re- 
ceived the  promises  offered  up  his  only-begotten 
son,  of  whom  it  was  said,  That  in  Isaac  shall  thy 
seed  be  called :  accounting  that  God  was  able  to 
raise  him  up,  even  from  the  dead."* 

0  According  to  Sanchoniathon,  as  quoted  by  Eusebius  in  his 
Praep.  Evang.,  lib.  i,  cap.  x,  p.  40,  and  lib.  iv,  cap.  xvi,  p.  156, 
a  mysterious  ceremony  was  common  among  the  early  Phceni- 
cians,  which  he  describes  as  follows  : — 

"  It  was  an  established  custom  among  the  ancients,  [mean- 
ing the  Phoenicians,]  on  any  calamitous  emergency,  for  the 
ruler  of  the  state  to  offer  up,  to  prevent  the  ruin,  the  most 
dearly  beloved  of  his  children,  as  a  ransom  to  avert  the  di- 
vine vengeance.  And  they  who  were  devoted  for  this  pur- 
pose were  offered  mystically.  For  Kronus,  truly,  whom  the 
Phoenicians  call  //,  and  who  after  his  death  was  translated 
with  divine  honours  to  the  star  which  bears  his  name,  having, 
while  he  ruled  over  that  people,  begotten  by  a  nymph  of  that 
country,  named  Jlnobret,  an  only  son,  thence  entitled  Jeud, 
(it  being  to  this  day  usual  with  the  Phoenicians  so  to  denom- 
inate an  only  son,)  had,  when  the  nation  was  endangered 
from  a  most  perilous  war,  after  dressing  up  his  son  in  the 
emblems  of  royalty,  offered  him  as  a  sacrifice  on  an  altar 
specially  prepared  for  the  purpose." 

Now  it  is  highly  probable  that  the  above  is  an  ornamented 
or  poetical  account  of  the  very  offering  of  Isaac  by  his  father 
Abraham.  The  grounds  of  this  opinion  are  as  follows  :— 

1.  11,  the  Phrcnician  name  of  the  father,  may  be  a  contrac- 
tion of  Israel,  which  might  well  be  put  for  Abraham.  This 
is  the  opinion  of  Stillingfleet,  Scaliger,  and  others. 


THE     CALL     OF     ABRAHAM.  Ill 

2.  The  title  of  the  only  son,  Jeud,  is  the  very  title  given  in 
Hebrew  to  Isaac,  when  God  issues  his  order  to  Abraham, 
Take  now  thy  son,  "pTP,  thy  Jehid,  (thine  only  son.) 

3.  Anobret,  the  name  of  the  mother,  may  signify  ex  gratia 
concipiens,  and  therefore  applies  to  Sarah. 

4.  Abraham  might  justly  be  styled  a  king,  and  was  vene- 
rated widely. 

From  all  these  circumstances,  the  probabilities  that  this  is 
a  heathen  account  of  the  facts  related  in  Scripture  are  strong. 
As,  however,  this  opinion  is  not  unquestionable,  we  have  in- 
troduced it  in  a  note.  Those  who  may  wish  to  examine  this 
singular  statement  further,  can  consult  Magee  on  Atonement, 
Appendix,  No.  xli;  or  Stillingfleet  on  Phoenician  Theogony, 
derived  from  Sanchoniathon, 


112  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  SODOM  AND  GOMORRAH. 

IN  the  ninteenth  chapter  of  the  Book  of  Genesis 
is  found  one  of  the  most  astonishing  relations  re- 
corded in  the  Bible, — the  destruction  of  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah.  According  to  the  simple  Scrip- 
tural account,  the  inhabitants  of  a  tract  of 
country  called  "  the  plain,"  including  the 
cities  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  also  Admah 
and  Zeboim,  were  excessively  wicked.  From 
the  single  instance  of  their  wickedness  related, 
it  is  evident  that  they  were  universally  as  aban- 
doned to  sensuality  and  as  degraded  as  it  seems 
possible  for  human  beings  to  be.  They  had  no 
respect  for  sacred  things,  and  thought  of  nothing 
but  to  gratify  their  unholy  lusts.  God  therefore 
determined  to  destroy  them  and  their  country 
together,  and  leave  the  spot  where  they  lived  as 
a  perpetual  monument  of  his  indignation. 

Lot,  a  foreigner,  who  dwelt  among  them,  was 
comparatively  a  good  man,  and  unaffected  by 
the  corrupt  manners  of  those  around  him.  He, 


SODOM    AND    GOMOERAII.  113 

therefore,  received  warning  of  the  impending 
destruction,  and  was  urged  to  fly  for  his  life, 
with  his  family,  to  the  surrounding  mountains. 
He  obeyed,  but  could  not  induce  any  of  his 
family  to  start  with  him  but  his  wife  and  two 
daughters.  Having  escaped  from  the  city,  "  the 
Lord  rained  upon  Sodom  and  upon  Gomorrah 
brimstone  and  fire  from  the  Lord  out  of  heaven." 
This  completely  destroyed  the  cities,  and  all 
their  inhabitants,  and  even  the  wife  of  Lot, 
looking  back,  was  changed  into  a  pillar  of  salt. 
The  next  morning,  Abraham,  rising  early,  and 
looking  toward  the  cities  and  the  land  of  the 
plain,  "  beheld,  and  lo,  the  smoke  of  the  country 
went  up  as  the  smoke  of  a  furnace." 

Now  we  maintain  that  this  strange  account, 
forming  a  part  of  the  Bible,  so  well  authenti- 
cated as  a  whole,  should  be  implicitly  believed, 
even  though  no  other  evidence  of  its  truth  ex- 
isted ;  but  if  subsidiary  evidence  can  be  found,  it 
will  serve  to  add  confirmation  to  sacred  writ.  We 
purpose,  then,  to  examine  this  history  faithfully. 

According  to  the  chronology  which  we  adopt, 
this  event  took  place  about  two  thousand  years 
before  Christ,  in  an  age  of  which  we  have  but 
few  historical  traces,  and  these  faint  and  imper- 
fect, except  what  are  found  in  the  Bible.  The 


114  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

authentic  history  of  China,  according  to  Con- 
fucius himself,  their  most  noted  author,  does 
not  reach  this  period  by  nine  hundred  years.* 
The  history  of  Hindostan  begins  to  be  authentic 
about  at  the  date  of  the  event  we  are  contem- 
plating, according  to  the  Septuagint.f 

Of  the  nations  that  dwelt  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  place  where  this  catastrophe  is 
said  to  have  happened,  no  ancient  history  is  ex- 
tant from  which  we  could  reasonably  expect  a 
mention  of  this  event.  But  there  is  another 
source  whence  we  might  look  for  confirmation, 
and  that  is  the  geological  character  of  the  coun- 
try, or  the  appearance  of  the  spot  where  the 
cities  are  said  to  have  been  burned  with  fire 
from  heaven.  Examining  this,  we  shall  not  be 
disappointed.  The  tempests  of  nearly  four  thou- 
sand years  have  not  been  sufficient  to  remove 
the  evident  traces  of  that  conflagration,  the  scar 
of  that  wound  that  was  then  made  on  the  surface 
of  the  earth. 

The   River  Jordan  runs   through   Palestine, 

0  Asiatic  Researches,  vol.  ii,  p.  370.  Subsequent  researches 
have  indeed  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  early  history  of  the 
Chinese,  commencing  even  two  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
fifty-three  years  before  Christ,  may  be  regarded  as  semi-au- 
thentic ;  but  it  is  brief  and  imperfect,  and  confined  to  its  own 
emperors  or  dynasties.  (Squiers's  Chinese  as  they  Are,  p.  8.) 

t  Ibid.,  vol.  ii,  p.  143. 


SODOM    AND     GOMOBBAH.  115 

from  north  to  south,  and  empties  into  an 
inland  lake,  called  the  Dead  Sea.  It  has 
been  the  general  opinion  that  before  the  de- 
struction of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  it  passed 
on  beyond  its  present  termination  into  the 
Red  Sea.  At  any  rate,  the  Dead  Sea  now  lies 
where  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  formerly  were.  If 
there  were  any  sea  there  before  the  destruction 
of  those  cities,  it  was  but  small,  compared  with 
its  present  size.  Now,  in  the  fourteenth  chapter 
of  Genesis,  it  is  incidentally  mentioned  that  the 
Yale  of  Siddim,  which  was  near  Sodom,  was  full 
of  slime-pits,  or  abounded  in  bitumen.  This  was 
probably  the  geological  character  of  the  whole 
plain.  The  soil  itself  was  semi-combustible.1* 
Its  destruction  was  doubtless  accomplished  either 
by  volcanic  action,  producing  electricity  and 
storms,  or  primarily  by  lightning  from  heaven, 
which,  setting  on  fire  the  bitumen  in  several 
places,  produced  a  destruction  so  rapid  that  the 
guilty  inhabitants  could  not  escape.  Earth- 
quakes, volcanic  action, .and  lightning  often 
attend  each  other,  and  all  together,  doubtless, 
accomplished  the  ruin  of  these  cities. 

The  Dead  Sea  and  surrounding  country  bear 

0  There  is  a  similar  bituminous  combustible  tract  of  country 
now  in  the  island  of  Trinidad.  (Lyell's  Prin.  of  Geol.,  ch.  xvii.) 


116  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

evident  traces  of  this  great  conflagration.  The 
asphaltum  or  bitumen  is  not  all  consumed,  but 
masses  of  it  still  exist  in  the  bottom  of  the  lake, 
and  are  often  detached,  and  float  to  the  surface. 
Sulphur  abounds  in  the  vicinity  of  the  lake, 
which  is  a  sure  sign  of  previous  volcanic  action, 
masses  of  sulphur  never  having  been  produced 
by  nature  in  any  other  way.  A  black,  shining 
stone  is  also  found,  which  is  combustible ;  and  the 
water  of  the  sea  is  so  impregnated  with  various 
salts  that  fishes  will  not  live  in  it,  and  even  trav- 
ellers upon  its  surface  are  often  covered  with  a 
greasy,  bitter  substance,  deposited  from  the  spray. 

It  is  thought  that  "the  plain"  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  was  where  the  southern  portion  of 
the  Dead  Sea  now  is ;  and  by  the  volcanic  action 
at  the  time  of  their  destruction,  the  soil  was  con- 
sumed or  sunken,  and  the  waters  of  the  Jordan 
running  in  formed  the  sea,  under  which  are 
buried  the  monuments  and  wealth, — if  any 
escaped  the  flames, — and  the  bodies  of  the  de- 
graded and  wretched  inhabitants. 

The  late  United  States  expedition  for  explor- 
ing the -Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea  has  thrown 
much  light  on  this  subject,  and,  like  all  other 
careful  investigations,  serves  but  to  confirm  the 
Bible.  Captain  Lynch,  the  commander  of  the 


SODOM     AND    GOMORRAH.  117 

expedition,  has  written  a  faithful  account  of  all 
the  investigations  by  the  company.  They  spent 
twenty-two  days  upon  this  gloomy  sea,  encoun- 
tering many  dangers,  and  suffering  excessively 
from  the  briny  spray,  which  in  time  of  storm 
settled  upon  them,  conveying  a  prickly  sensation 
wherever  it  touched  the  skin,  and  exceedingly 
painful  to  the  eyes.  Indeed,  the  health  of  all  the 
men  was  unfavourably  affected,  and  nothing  but 
a  strong  determination  to  accomplish  their  task 
induceM  them  to  persevere.  They  sounded  every 
part  of  the  sea,  examined  its  bottom  and  its 
shores,  and  this  is  their  conclusion,  in  the  words 
of  Captain  Lynch : — • 

"  The  inference  from  the  Bible,  that  this  entire 
chasm  was  a  plain,  sunk  and  <•  overwhelmed'  by 
the  wrath  of  God,  seems  to  be  sustained  by  the 
extraordinary  character  of  the  soundings.  The 
bottom  of  this  sea  consists  of  two  submerged 
plains,  an  elevated  and  a  depressed  one;  the 
first  averaging  thirteen  and  the  last  thirteen 
hundred  feet  below  the  surface.  Through  the 
northern,  the  largest  and  deepest  one,  in  a  line 
corresponding  with  the  bed  of  the  Jordan,  is  a 
ravine,  which  again  seems  to  correspond  with 
the  Wady  el  Jeib,  or  ravine  within  a  ravine,  at 
the  south  end  of  the  sea. 


118  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

"Between  the  Jabbok  and  the  sea  we  unex- 
pectedly found  a  sudden  break-down  in  the  bed 
of  the  Jordan.  If  there  be  a  similar  break  in 
the  water-courses  to  the  south  of  the  sea,  accom- 
panied with  like  volcanic  characters,*  there  can 
scarce  be  a  doubt  that  the  whole  Ghar  has  sunk 
from  some  extraordinary  convulsion,  preceded, 
most  probably,  by  an  eruption  of  fire,  and  a 
general  conflagration  of  the  bitumen  which 
abounded  in  the  plain.  I  shall  ever  regret  that 
we  were  not  authorized  to  explore  the  southern 
Ghar  to  the  Ked  Sea. 

"  But  it  is  for  the  learned  to  comment  on  the 
facts  we  have  laboriously  collected.  Upon  our- 
selves the  result  is  a  decided  one.  We  entered 
upon  this  sea  with  conflicting  opinions.  One 
of  the  party  was  sceptical,  and  another,  I  think, 
a  professed  unbeliever  of  the  Mosaic  account. 
After  twenty-two  days  of  close  investigation,  if  I 
am  not  mistaken,  we  are  unanimous  in  the  con- 
viction of  the  truth  of  the  Scriptural  account  of 
the  destruction  of  the  cities  of  the  plain."f 


0  There  is  such  a  break,  from  a  hundred  to  a  hundred  nn<l 
fifty  feet  in  height.  (Robinson's  Researches,  vol.  ii,  p.  498.) 

t  Narrative  of  the  United  States  Expedition  to  the  River 
Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea.  By  W.  F.  Lynch,  U.  S.  N.,  Com- 
mander of  the  Expedition,  pp.  379,  380. 


• 
SODOM    AND    GOMORRAH.  119 

"We  are  greatly  indebted  to  this  captain  in  the 
navy  for  his  candid  expression  of  matured  and 
firm,  opinion. 

We  have  but  little  more  to  present  on  this 
subject.  The  statement  that  Lot's  wife  was 
changed  into  a  pillar  of  salt  has  been  ridiculed 
by  some  who  have  not  taken  the  trouble  to  inves- 
tigate the  subject.  We  would  simply  inquire, 
What  could  have  induced  Moses  to  make  this 
assertion,  if  it  was  not  a  fact  ?  An  imagination 
must  have  been  wild  to  have  invented  such  a 
story ;  and  yet  the  strangeness  of  the  occur- 
rence, if  it  be  confirmed,  but  adds  strength  to 
the  history. 

The  fact  was  probably  this :  The  wife  of  Lot 
did  not  credit  the  threatened  destruction.  She 
was  only  induced  to  accompany  her  husband 
by  his  strong  solicitations,  and,  even  then,  she 
at  last  lingered  far  behind;  and  Lot  himself 
just  escaping  in  the  little  town  of  Zoar,  on  the 
shore  of  the  sea,  she  was  overtaken  by  the  fall- 
ing embers,  and  the  falling  salt,  suffocated  and 
buried  or  incrusted  on  the  edge  of  the  sea,  and 
remained  there  as  a  sort  of  monument  of  her  own 
folly  and  incredulity  to  future  generations.  In 
all  this  there  was  nothing  unnatural.  Josephus, 
who  wrote  but  a  short  time  after  Christ,  and 


• 

120  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

who  expresses  the  belief  of  the  ancient  Jews, 
says,  that  "  Lot's  wife,  continually  turning  back 
to  view  the  city  as  she  went  from  it,  and  be- 
ing too  nicely  inquisitive  what  would  become 
of  it,  although  God  had  forbidden  her  so  to  do, 
was  changed  into  a  pillar  of  salt ;  for  I  have 
seen  it,  and  it  remains  to  this  day"* 

Perhaps  Josephus,  and  Clement  of  Rome, 
and  Irenseus  were  mistaken  about  seeing  this 
pillar,  so  late  as  they  lived,  and  perhaps  they 
were  not ;  though  that  such  was  the  fate  of  the 
unbelieving  woman  we  cannot  doubt.  It  is  re- 
markable that  even  now,  as  attested  by  the  late 
exploring  company,  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  Dead  Sea  there  is  a  pillar  of  solid  salt,  which 
seems  to  have  been  gradually  formed,  from  forty 
to  sixty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  waters.  This 
singular  monument  is  alone,  the  only  one  of  its 
kind ;  and  who  can  pronounce  it  incredible  that 
this  is  a  strange  mausoleum  of  Lot's  wife,  that  will 
be  sundered  at  the  last  day  to  give  up  its  guilty 
dead? 

If  it  be  asked  why  communities  as  guilty  as 
ancient  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  are  not  now  over- 
whelmed, we  answer  as  follows : — 

1.  Though  there  may  be  places  actually  more 

0  Josephus,  Antiquities  of  the  Jews,  book  i,  chap.  xi. 


SODOM    AND    GOMOKBAII.  121 

guilty,  morally,  on  account  of  their  superior  light, 
there  are  probably  no  whole  cities  absolutely  so 
sunken  in  crime  as  were  these. 

2.  The   relative   importance   of  Sodorn   and 
Gomorrah,  in  that  age  of  the  world,  was  far 
greater  than  the  same  population  would  be  at 
present.     The  human  family  was  young ;  and  it 
is  more  than  probable  that  had  these  cities  been 
left  to  riot  in  their  crimes,  as  a  spot  of  gangrene 
will  soon  destroy  the  whole  body,  the  whole  world 
would  have  been  corrupted,  and  demanded  a 
second  flood. 

3.  Moreover,  there  have  been   since   many 
instances   of  as   sudden   destruction,  doubtless 
inflicted  as  a  judgment  by  the  Almighty. 

The  circumstances  attendant  upon  this  great 
event  are  very  instructive.  The  Bible  does  not 
afford  a  better  instance  of  earnest  intercessory 
prayer  than  that  offered  by  Abraham  when  he 
was  informed  of  the  impending  destruction.  It 
seems  that  he  had  no  just  conception  of  the  ex- 
cessive wickedness  of  the  cities,  and  implored 
the  Almighty  not  to  destroy  the  evil,  if  that 
must  necessarily  include  the  destruction  of  the 
good.  "  Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do 
right?"  The  Lord  promised  to  spare  the  cities 
if  fifty  righteous  men  were  found  in  them. 


122  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Abraham  renewed  his  plea,  and  obtained  the 
favourable  answer  that  forty-five  should  save  the 
country;  and  again  that  twenty,  and  finally 
that  ten  righteous  men  should  prevent  the  de- 
struction. Doubtless  Abraham  believed  that  the 
cities  were  safe — there  must  be  ten  good  men 
in  that  vast  population — and  his  importunity 
ceased.  He  was  mistaken.  But  one  righteous 
man,  his  nephew  Lot,  was  there ;  and  he,  though 
by  no  means  a  perfect  character,  was  saved  by 
express  revelation  from  the  doom  of  his  neigh- 
bours. 

Can  this  account  be  read  without  an  admira- 
tion of  God's  watchful  superintendence  over  the 
world  as  a  whole?  Let  it  be  understood  that 
all  the  grand  events  related  in  the  Bible  are 
master-strokes  in  the  policy  of  the  Almighty,  by 
which  he  directs  the  destiny  of  the  nations, 
shaping  his  government  so  as  in  due  time  to 
bring  about  the  sublime  result  of  a  regenerated, 
disenthralled  world,  delivered  from  the  power  of 
Satan,  and  rejoicing  in  the  love  of  its  Creator. 
It  is  when  viewed  in  this  relation,  though  some- 
times the  true  relation  be  to  us  occult,  or  with 
great  difficulty  detected,  that  the  genuine  sub- 
limity of  God's  empire  on  earth  is  appreciated. 

Standing  alone,  the  dispersion  of  the  nations 


SODOM    AND    GOMORRAH.  123 

at  Babel  may  appear  an  act  trivial  for  the 
Almighty,  and  uncalled  for ;  but  its  effect  was 
to  divide  the  race  into  at  least  three  great 
branches,  thus  allowing  the  experiment  of  man's 
self-government  to  be  put  to  a  three-fold  test. 
These  branches  were  afterward  subdivided,  thus 
affording  it  a  still  more  extensive  test.  To  one 
branch  we  shall  find  a  series  of  especial  revela- 
tions was  given,  extending  through  two  thousand 
years,  beginning  with  Abraham  and  ending  with 
Christ  and  his  apostles,  while  all  the  other  branches 
had  the  patriarchal  religion,  or  original  revela- 
tion, the  boon  of  God  to  the  whole  human  race. 
We  are  satisfied  that  the  healthful  and  saving 
influence  of  this  original  revelation  was  retained, 
with  much  of  its  pristine  vigour  and  efficacy, 
down  even  to  the  coming  of  Christ,  whose  teach- 
ings were  designed  to  be  universal,  and  ought 
long  before  to  have  been  spread  over  the  entire 
world.  Since  that  event  the  minds  of  the 
heathen,  by  human  devices  and  the  agency  of 
the  devil,  have  become  doubly  clouded,  and 
the  whole  idolatrous  world  is  now  groaning  for 
a  deliverer,  to  be  found  only  in  Christ.  Scarcely 
a  faint  glimmer  of  their  original  truth  remains 
among  them;  and  every  enlightened  Christian 
sees  the  manacled  hands  of  heathendom  beseech- 


THE    YOUNG   MAN   ADVISED. 

ingly  uplifted,  and  hears  from  a  thousand  dia- 
lects the  Macedonian  cry,  Come  and  help  us. 
Yiewed  in  this  light  the  Dispersion  is  a  great 
act,  fraught  with  infinite  consequences. 

It  is  with  a  view  to  God's  great  plan  that  all 
history  should  be  studied ;  and  it  is  only  by  him 
who  surveys  the  whole  field  that  the  plan  can 
in  any  degree  be  comprehended.  Nothing  will 
induce  murmuring  at  Providence  more  than 
narrowness  of  vision,  while  nothing  has  a 
greater  tendency  to  produce  strong  faith  in 
God's  goodness,  and  truth,  and  watchfulness, 
than  truly  extensive  information.  A  battle-field, 
on  the  eve  of  a  great  engagement,  presents  to 
an  unpractised  eye  a  scene  of  inextricable  con- 
fusion. Marching  and  counter-marching ;  orders 
given  and  orders  repealed ;  embankments  made 
where  they  seem  unnecessary,  and  violent  exer- 
tions endured  for  no  evident  purpose, — all  be- 
wilder the  man  unused  to  camp  or  field.  But 
the  accomplished  general,  the  master-mind  of 
all  this  policy,  comprehends  every  step  and 
directs  every  movement ;  to  him,  it  is  a  map  of 
beauty,  and  when  this  seeming  tumult,  these 

"  discordia  semina  rerum," 

shall  have  finally  reached  their  designed  collo- 
cation, he  will  be  prepared  for  the  final  move- 


SODOM    AND    GOMORRAH.  125 

ment  which  shall  accomplish  the  desired  result. 
Thus  is  it  with  the  government  of  God ;  and  it 
is  given  to  the  thoughtful,  at  least  partially,  to 
comprehend  his  plan ;  and  it  is  the  privilege  of 
all  to  adore.  Such  thoughts  of  God  enlarge  the 
minds  of  feeble  mortals,  and  can  find  fit  expres- 
sion only  in  prayer  and  praise. 

That  God,  unchangeable,  still  governs  the 
world ;  doomed  to  destruction  no  less  terrible 
than  that  of  the  wretched  inhabitants  of  these 
cities  are  all  the  wicked ;  while  upheld  by  a  no 
less  watchful  Providence  than  preserved  Lot,  are 
all  the  righteous. 

Recall  to  mind  the  words  of  Christ  when  pro- 
nouncing a  woe  upon  Capernaum  :  "  And  thou, 
Capernaum,  which  art  exalted  unto  heaven,  shalt 
be  brought  down  to  hell :  for  if  the  mighty 
works  which  have  been  done  in  thee  had  been 
done  in  Sodom,  it  would  have  remained  until 
this  day."  Some,  at  least,  would  have  repented. 

Is  there  not  a  practical  lesson  in  this  for  us? 
God  never  punishes  a  man  on  account  of -the 
average  guilt  of  the  mass;  but  he  punishes  or 
rewards  every  individual  according  to  his  char- 
acter. There  is  also  a  future  j  udgment  approach- 
ing, at  which  even  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  will 
be  rejudged :  and  there  are  places  for  whom  it 


THE     YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

will   be    less    tolerable    than    for   those  guilty 
cities. 

They  had  not  the  instructions  of  Christ  as 
have  we  ;  they  had  not  the  regular  ministrations 
and  service  of  the  Sabbath  as  have  we ;  their 
land  was  not  a  land  of  churches  and  Bibles ; 
they  were  not  blessed  with  a  sound  public 
opinion  in  favour  of  religion  :  yet  with  all  their 
disadvantages  they  were  justly  doomed  to  death, 
and  the  future  judgment  is  to  be  to  them  terri- 
ble, only  "more  tolerable"  than  that  of  Caper- 
naum, and  Bethsaida,  and  Chorazin,  and  the  in- 
habitants of  other  places  that  have  sinned  more 
grossly  against  greater  light.  • 

There  are  even  now  sinners  against  greater 
light.  Against  us,  if  thus  guilty,  God  is  indig- 
nant, and  for  us  is  prepared  a  more  awful  doom. 
But  here  the  voice  of  a  Saviour  is  heard.  Here 
the  gospel,  or  good  news  of  great  joy,  is  pub- 
lished. "Whosoever  will,  may  abandon  sin,  and 
the  sincerely  penitent  and  prayerful  will  not 
be  rejected.  As  yet  the  heavens  betoken  no 
awful  destruction.  As  yet  even  the  pains  of 
fierce  disease  are  held  back,  and  death  has  not 
been  allowed  to  seize  us.  By  the  great  truth 
which  we  have  just  presented,  I  would  confirm 
the  assertion  of  the  Bible, — "  It  is  a  fearful  thing 


SODOM     AND    GOMORRAH.  127 

to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God."  But 
with  Christ  as  a  Mediator  and  a  Saviour  it  will 
be  pleasant  to  be  guarded  as  Lot  was  guarded, 
and  saved  with  Abraham  in  heaven. 

To  those  who  have  commenced  a  religious  life 
allow  me  "to  mention  the  words  of  Christ,  "  Re- 
member Lot's  wife."  A  warning  against  inde- 
cision and  fickleness  of  purpose,  she  should 
never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  wish  to  enjoy 
both  Sodom  and  safety;  who  would  like  to  flee 
to  the  mountains,  and  yet  linger  on  the  plain ; 
who  are  induced  by  their  pious  relatives  or 
friends  to  take  some  religious  steps,  and  yet 
never  heartily  renounce  the  world,  but  linger 
about  it,  and  gaze  upon  it ;  to  whom  religion  is 
a  task,  and  the  world  a  pleasure ;  thus  proving 
that  both  their  treasure  and  their  hearts  are  here, 
and  who  cannot  possibly  escape  in  the  day  of 
God's  wrath.  "  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mam- 
mon." But  so  soon  as  it  becomes  the  full,  fixed, 
absorbing  purpose  of  the  heart  to  obey  God,  to 
obey  him  now,  and  to  obey  him  at  all  hazards, — 
so  soon  as  our  faith  is  plighted  to  Christ,  and  our 
heart  becomes  married  in  a  perpetual  league  to 
his,  so  soon  will  we  find  peace,  rest,  safety ;  and 
the  world,  having  acquired  its  proper  place,  we 
shall  be  able  to  enjoy  it  as  a  good  gift  of  God; 


128  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

we  shall  be  able  to  labour  in  it,  to  acquire  its 
property  and  to  use  it  right,  to  bear  its  trials 
and  to  perform  its  tasks,  while  our  chief  expect- 
ation and  joy  will  be  in  heaven  with  God,  and 
our  whole  soul  will  have  found  its  proper  equil- 
ibrium of  spiritual  repose. 

O  the  religion  of  Christ  is  the  perfection  of 
man's  nature  !  It  calms  the  tumult  of  passion, 
it  speaks  peace  to  a  troubled  conscience,  it  re- 
strains the  mind  from  doubt  and  fear,  and  the 
whole  man  from  vice  and  sorrow,  and  sheds  a 
rich  and  beautiful  lustre  even  on  the  dying  hour, 
disclosing  to  the  departing  saint  a  picture  of  the 
open  gate  of  heaven. 

And  what  is  this  religion?  Not  a  mere  pro- 
fession— not  becoming  familiar  with  a  little 
Scriptural  truth,  and  joining  a  Church.  The 
religion  of  Christ  is  internal.  Its  seat  is  the 
heart, — the  heart,  depraved  by  nature,  and  the 
source  of  evil, — the  heart,  whose  unsanctified 
passions  lead  to  avarice,  anger,  profanity,  and 
hatred  of  God, — the  heart,  unprepared  for  com- 
munion with  God  or  eternal  joy  till  it  is 
changed, — the  heart,  converted  and  sanctified 
by  the  power  of  the  Almighty,  through  Jesus 
Christ, — the  heart  then  the  abode  of  comfort, 
righteousness,  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 


SODOM    AND    GOMORRAH. 

Ghost.  That  man  may  come  into  the  possession 
of  this,  the  Bible  was  given.  Every  revelation 
which  God  has  granted  to  man  is  a  link  in  a 
great  chain,  which  is  designed  to  connect  this 
world  with  heaven.  The  Bible  may  be  studied, 
understood,  and  admired,  and  yet  fail  to  accom- 
plish its  work.  We  may  investigate  its  evidence, 
bow  to  its  divine  authority,  and  practise  some 
of  its  external  principles;  but  unless  we  allow 
the  promised  Spirit  of  God  to  control  our  affec- 
tions, and  yield  to  its  requirements,  its  promised 
blessings  we  cannot  enjoy, — its  threatened  pun- 
ishments must  be  our  portion. 

Let  us  not  delude  ourselves  with  the  vain  no- 
tion that  God  takes  no  note  of  our  actions.  The 
sun  shone  pleasantly  the  last  day  upon  "the 
plain."  It  was  a  beautiful  spot,  extended  be- 
tween the  mountains.  The  transparent  Jordan 
wound  through  it,  and  it  seemed  the  garden  of 
the  earth.  Eich  vegetation  covered  it,  and  it 
was  thronged  with  a  population  abounding  in 
wealth.  But  among  them  all,  save  the  stranger 
Lot,  not  a  pious  person  dwelt!  With  God's 
character  they  were  not  unacquainted,  but  to 
his  commands  they  had  no  regard :  no  law  of 
God  they  acknowledged  to  be  binding ;  he  was 
not  in  their  thoughts.  Their  wants  all  supplied, 
9 


130  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

they  surrendered  themselves  to  luxury  and  un- 
bridled license.  They  were  warned,  but  they 
received  their  warnings  with  mockery  and 
hatred.  Their  cup  at  last  was  full. 

They  believed  in  God  at  last,  but,  alas,  it  was 
too  late!  Aroused  from  their  last  slumber  in 
the  body,  or  surprised  in  the  midst  of  their 
guilty  orgies,  the  heavens  glared  upon  them, 
and  the  ear.th  was  on  fire  beneath  their  feet; 
forked  lightnings  gleamed  above  them,  and, 
amid  falling  cinders,  and  with  loud  shrieks, 
scarcely  drowned  by  the  awful  thunder,  they 
hurried  out  of  their  crumbling  habitations  but 
to  be  buried  in  a  sea  of  molten  fl-ame;  while 
the  waters  of  the  river  rolled  upon  them,  and 
their  smoke  rose  as  from  a  furnace,  and  the 
Dead  Sea,  as  their  winding-sheet,  now  rolls, 
and  has  for  ages  rolled,  to  cover  their  remains 
till  the  last  great  day. 

Evidence  of  this  expression  of  the  wrath  of 
God  still  is  seen  branded  on  the  very  earth,  so 
clear  and  palpable  that  never  has  a  visitor 
gazed  upon  the  shores  of  the  Dead  Sea  without 
perceiving  it,  and  none,  but  the  foolhardy  and 
insane  can  gainsay  it.  This  evidence  we  have 
briefly  presented :  let  it  be  pondered  well,  and 
let  the  lessons  it  is  designed  to  teach  sink  deep 


SODOM    AND     GOMORRAH.  131 

into  the  heart.  Let  God's  superintendence  be 
acknowledged,  let  his  hatred  of  sin  be  appre- 
ciated, and  let  the  awful  miniature  picture  of 
the  final  day  thus  presented  serve  to  afford  you 
a  glimpse  of  the  terrors  which  will  seize  the  un- 
righteous when  the  heavens  shall  pass  away 
with  a  great  noise,  and  the  elements  shall  melt 
with  fervent  heat ;  the  earth  also,  and  the  works 
that  are  therein,  shall  be  burned  up ;  and  doubt 
not,  as  the  apostle  Peter  has  said,  that  if  God 
"  spared  not  the  old  world,  but  saved  Noah,  the 
eighth  person,  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  bring- 
ing in  a  flood  upon  the  world  of  the  ungodly ; 
and  turning  the  cities  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 
into  ashes,  condemned  them  with  an  overthrow, 
making  them  an  ensample  unto  those  that  after 
should  live  ungodly;  and  delivered  just  Lot, 
vexed  with  the  filthy  conversation  of  the  wicked  ; 
.  .  .  the  Lord  knoweth  how  to  deliver  the  godly 
out  of  temptations,  and  to  reserve  the  unjust 
unto  the  day  of  judgment  to  be  punished." 

NOTE. — The  evidence  of  this  great  conflagration  is  so  clear, 
from  present  appearances,  as  described  by  modern  travellers, 
that  we  have  not  thought  it  necessary  to  state  at  length  the 
accounts  of  ancient  writers.  Diodorus  Siculus,  lib.  ii,  and 
Strabo,  lib.  xvi,  among  the  Greeks,  describe  the  place ;  and 
among  the  Romans,  Tacitus,  in  the  fifth  book  of  his  History, 
and  Pliny,  in  book  v,  chapter  xvi,  and  many  others,  not 
necessary  to  mention. 


132  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 


CHAFTEK  THE. 

BIBLICAL  REFERENCES  TO  EGYPT,  CONFIRMED  BY  MODERN 
RESEARCHES. 

ON  the  banks  of  the  mysterious  Nile,  at  the 
juncture  of  Africa,  the  land  of  darkness,  with 
Asia,  the  first  home  of  man,  lies  Egypt,  often, 
though  erroneously,  called  "  the  cradle  of  civili- 
zation:" a  land  famous  for  its  agriculture,  its 
architecture,  its  mechanical  arts,  its  philosophy, 
its  refinement,  and  religion,  long  before  Greece 
and  Rome  were  known.  The  mechanical  instru- 
ments of  this  people,  their  careful  division  of 
labour  and  various  employments,  their  accom- 
plishment in  music,  painting,  and  sculpture; 
their  populousness,  and  order,  and  law,  and  re- 
finement, are  perhaps,  in  the  aggregate,  not 
surpassed  by  the  most  cultivated  people  of 
modern  times.  They  had  even  their  written 
and  pictorial  language,  their  authors  and  care- 
ful historians.  But  successive  deluges  of  war 
swept  over  them.  Their  wealth  constantly  ex- 
cited the  lust,  and  courted  the  rapacity  of  con- 
querors, whose  only  principle  of  action  was, 


BIBLICAL    REFERENCES    TO    EGYPT.    133 

might  makes  right.  They  were  subdued  and 
overrun,  at  the  intervals  of  centuries,  by  the 
Ethiopians,  their  nearest  neighbours;  by  the 
Babylonians,  under  Nebuchadnezzar;  by  the 
Persians,  under  Cambyses;  by  Alexander,  the 
Macedonian;  by  the  Romans,  under  Octavius 
Caesar ;  and  in  modern  times  by  the  Arabs  and 
by  the  Turks.  Thus  its  old  institutions,  its  arts 
and  sciences,  its  language,  oral  and  written, 
have  been  obliterated,  and  its  history  for  a  long 
time  forgotten ;  so  that  two  centuries  ago  Egypt 
was  like  an  antiquated  picture  covered  with 
smoke  and  dust,  or  like  an  ancient  parchment, 
the  production  of  some  famous  author  of  the 
oldest  date,  but  written  over  and  over  again 
by  inferior  modern  scribes.  Egypt  was  "the 
basest  of  kingdoms,"  and  its  former  splendour 
unappreciated  and  almost  entirely  forgotten. 
Still  there  remained  dim,  and  uncertain,  and  con- 
tradictory references  to  it  in  Greek  and  Roman 
writings ;  still  there  existed  on  its  ancient  site  a 
people  called  Copts,  who  seem  to  speak  a  cor- 
rupt dialect  of  its  ancient  language;  still  could 
be  seen  the  statue  of  Memnon,  which,  it  was 
said,  once  uttered  musical  sounds  at  the  rising 
of  the  sun, — and  the  concealed  place  in  it,  and 
the  machinery  by  which  the  artful  priest  used 


134  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

to  perform  the  miracle  for  the  admiration  of  the 
vulgar;  still  remained  the  sphinxes,  gigantic 
statues  of  lions  with  women's  heads ;  still  tombs 
of  kings  hewn  in  the  solid  rocks ;  subterranean 
catacombs,  the  mysterious  and  endless  labyrinth, 
the  pyramids,  oldest  and  far  the  grandest  works 
of  man ;  thousands  of  mummies  with  their  cov- 
erings written  over  with  unknown  characters, 
and  thousands  of  paintings,  with  lines  as  distinct 
and  colourings  as  brilliant  as  though  formed  by 
the  pencil  of  yesterday ; — all  these  furnished  an 
old  world  to  be  reexplored  by  the  curiosity  and 
research  of  modern  times. 

It  could  not  be  expected  that  such  a  bound- 
less field  of  study  would  be  neglected  by  our 
scholars  of  enterprise  and  thought.  It  has  not 
been  neglected.  With  a  strange  fascination 
and  a  persevering  research,  Egypt  has  been  ex- 
plored by  the  most  eminent  of  modern  savans. 
The  expedition  of  Bonaparte  into  Egypt  opened 
the  way  for  investigation ;  and,  since  that  time, 
Champollion,  Kosellini,  Dr.  Young,  Major  Fe- 
lix, "Wilkinson,  Gliddon,  and  others,  have  with 
unwearied  diligence  prosecuted  their  inquiries. 
Pictures  have  been  brought  to  light,  statues 
unearthed,  the  alphabet  of  their  writings  dis- 
covered, inscriptions  deciphered ;  and  if  not  the 


BIBLICAL    REFERENCES    TO    EGYPT.    135 

history  of  Egypt,  certainly  the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  this  ancient  people  have  been  recovered 
and  rewritten,  so  that  what  had  been  a  blank 
for  a  thousand  years  and  more  has  been  again 
clearly  delineated. 

Now  it  so  happens  that  we  have  in  the  Bible 
a  multitude  of  references  to  Egypt — direct  and 
incidental — made  at  the  time  by  writers  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  from  their  professed  personal 
acquaintance  with  the  nation  and  its  inhabitants. 
It  is  a  question  of  immense  value,  and  directly 
falling  into  the  plan  of  this  volume,  whether 
these  Biblical  references  and  descriptions  are 
confirmed  by  the  researches  of  modern  inquirers. 
Does  the  study  of  the  monuments  of  ancient 
Egypt  attest  the  truth  of  the  sacred  record? 
Never  was  a  more  exact,  abundant,  and  com- 
plete authentication :  indeed,  nothing  more  could 
be  desired,  or  even  scarcely  imagined.  The  ob- 
ject of  this  chapter  is  to  present  a  few  of  these 
confirmations. 

It  should  be  premised,  that  for  some  reasons 
which  we  need  not  investigate,  many  of  the  cus- 
toms of  Egypt  were  peculiar ;  they  were  a  sin- 
gular and  peculiar  people,  differing  much  from 
the  oriental  and  other  ancient  nations.  This 
renders  the  confirmations  of  the  Bible  by  the 


136  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

monuments  more  striking  and  convincing.  It 
was  at  first  attempted,  by  some  shallow  enemies 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  to  show  that  the  revela- 
tions made  by  modern  inquirers  were  inconsist- 
ent with,  and  contradictory  to,  descriptions  con- 
tained in  the  Bible;  but  this  effort  has  been 
most  triumphantly  defeated  and  replied  to  by 
Dr.  E.  W.  Hengstenberg  and  others.  Not  a 
pretended  inconsistency  between  the  two  has 
been  adduced  that  does  not  exhibit  the  igno- 
rance of  its  authors,  while  the  coincidences  are  so 
numerous  and  striking  as  to  arrest  the  attention 
of  every  inquirer,  and  to  force  the  conviction 
upon  the  mind,  even  of  the  sceptic,  that  the  his- 
tory, at  least,  contained  in  the  Old  Testament  is 
reliable  and  absolutely  correct. 

Several  historical  facts  mentioned  in  the  Bible 
are  directly  attested.  In  the  twelfth  chapter  of 
Second  Chronicles  the  attack  of  Shishak  upon 
the  kingdom  of  Judah  is  described,  "with 
twelve  hundred  chariots  and  threescore  thou- 
sand horsemen,"  and  auxiliary  forces  of  "  Lub- 
ims,  Sukkiims,  and  Ethiopians." 

Says  "Wilkinson  :*    "  The  sculptures  he  (Shi- 

0  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Ancient  Egyptians.  By  J. 
G.  Wilkinson,  P.  R.  8.,  &c.  London :  John  Murray,  1837, 
Tol.  i,  p.  136. 


BIBLICAL    REFERENCES    TO  EGYPT.    137 

sliak)  added  on  the  walls  of  Karnak  show  that 
this  campaign  is  recorded,  with  the  names  of  the 
captured  places." 

In  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  Second  Bangs 
Tirhakah  is  mentioned,  and  his  successful  resist- 
ance to  Sennacherib,  King  of  Assyria,  and  the 
wonderful  miracle  by  which  the  Assyrians  lost 
by  pestilence  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  thou- 
sand men  in  one  night.  Now  this  is  commemo- 
rated by  a  record  on  the  walls  of  a  Theban  tem- 
ple, and  by  a  marble  statue  in  the  temple  of 
Pthah  at  Memphis,  with  this  inscription,  "  Who- 
ever thou  art,  learn  from  my  fortune  to  rever- 
ence the  gods."*  The  whole  history  of  Tirhakah 
and  Sennacherib  has  been  recovered  by  modern 
investigation. 

But,  aside  from  direct  historical  coincidences 
which  are  numerous,  and  of  which  the  above  are 
a  specimen,  there  are  various  allusions  to  pecu- 
liar customs  and  usages  in  the  Bible,  which  have 
been  strikingly  illustrated  by  the  late  explora- 
tions of  ancient  Egypt. 

The  Scriptures  state  that  Egypt  was  settled  by 
the  children  of  Ham  ;  the  ancient  hieroglyphical 
name  of  Egypt  was  "  the  land  of  Ham."f 

0  Wilkinson,  vol.  i,  pp.  140-142. 
t  Gliddon's  Ancient  Egypt,  p.  41. 


138  THE     YOUNG   MAN     ADVISED. 

The  next  mention  of  Egypt  is  the  relation  of 
Abraham's  journey  to  it  to  escape  famine,  and 
of  his  stratagem  to  save  his  wife  Sarah  from  be- 
ing claimed  by  the  king.*  Now  it  is  a  fact, 
attested  by  the  monuments,  that  females  in 
Egypt,  contrary  to  the  custom'  of  other  oriental 
nations,  were  allowed  to  pass  freely  unveiled  in 
society.  This  is  presupposed  in  the  Biblical  ac- 
count. 

The  next  mention  of  the  country  is  in  the  mem- 
orable narrative  of  the  life  of  Joseph. 

That  slavery  was  an  institution  recognised,  and 
yet  not  extensively  practised,  is  abundantly  con- 
firmed^ 

Joseph  afterward  became  a  steward  of  the 
king,  and  in  his  subsequent  exaltation  had  him- 
self a  steward.  One  of  the  most  common  figures 
on  the  monuments  of  the  kings  is  a  steward 
"  with  a  pen  over  his  ear,  the  tablet  or  paper  in 
his  hand,  and  the  writing-table  under  his  arm, 
either  following  or  going  before  the  servants.":): 

In  Genesis  xl,  16,  the  chief  baker  mentions  his 
dream  of  carrying  three  white  baskets  on  his 
head,  or,  as  it  is  in  the  marginal  translation,  three 

0  Genesis  chap.  xii.  f  Wilkinson,  vol.  i,  p.  402,  &o. 

J  Rosellini,  quoted  by  Hengstenberg,— Egypt  and  the  Books 
of  Moses,  p.  25. 


BIBLICAL    REFERENCES    TO   EGYPT.    139 

baskets  "  full  of  holes."  Now  in  the  paintings 
lately  discovered,  wicker-baskets ',  flattened  so  as 
to  rest  one  upon  another,  are  represented ;  and 
often  burdens  resting  upon  the  heads  of  men, 
while  the  women  generally  carried  burdens  upon 
their  shoulders.* 

The  "magicians  of  Egypt,"  frequently  spoken 
of  in  the  Bible,  are  a  class-  distinctly  recognised 
in  the  paintings,  and  peculiar  to  Egypt. 

In  Genesis  xli,  14,  Joseph,  before  going  before 
the  king,  "shaved  himself,"  a  custom  then  pecu- 
liar to  the  ancient  Egyptians.  "  So  particular 
were  they  on  this  point,  that  to  have  neglected 
it  was  a  subject  of  reproach  and  ridicule  ;  and 
whenever  they  intended  to  convey  the  idea  of  a 
man  of  low  condition,  or  a  slovenly  person,  the 
artists  represented  him  with  a  beard."f 

In  fine,  without  delaying  longer  upon  the  nar- 
rative of  Joseph,  suffice  it  to  say  that  every  par- 
ticular feature  of  it  has  been  illustrated  by  paint- 
ings lately  discovered, — such  as  the  "dress  of 
linen,"  mentioned  in  chapter  xli,  42,  and  the 
gold  chain, — both  marks  of  the  highest  honour ; 
his  marriage  with  Potipherah,  verse  45, — a  name 
very  common  on  the  Egyptian  monuments ;  his 

0  Hengstenberg,  p.  27,  and  Wilkinson,  vol.  ii,  p.  385. 
t  Wilkinson,  vol.  iii,  p.  357. 


140  THE    YOUNG    MAN   ADVISED. 

gathering  the  products  of  the  seven  years  of 
plenty  into  storehouses ;  the  sittvng  of  the  broth- 
ers of  Joseph  at  the  table  with  him,  apart  from 
the  Egyptians,  chapter  xliii,  32, 33 ;  the  divining 
cup,  xliv,  5  ;  all  are  strikingly  depicted  on  those 
old  monuments. 

Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  feature  in  this 
whole  narrative  is  the  alienation  of  the  land  from 
the  people  by  purchase  during  the  seven  years 
of  famine,  so  that  afterward  they  were  not  own- 
ers of  the  land,  but  tenants  of  the  king.  Now 
all  the  profane  history  of  Egypt  which  is  extant 
confirms  this  fact. 

Herodotus  says  that  the  land  was  divided 
among  the  Egyptians  by  the  king,  and  he  ob- 
tained his  income  by  an  annual  rent.  Diodorus 
also  gives  the  same  testimony. 

According  to  the  paintings  and  sculptures 
only  kings,  priests,  and  the  military  order  own 
land.* 

In  the  fiftieth  chapter  of  Genesis,  Joseph  is 
represented  as  commanding  the  physicians  to 
embalm  the  body  of  his  father,  that  it  might  be 
carried  with  his  people  when  they  should  leave 
the  country ;  and  at  the  close  of  the  chapter  it 
is  stated  that  the  body  of  Joseph  also  was 

0  Wilkinson,  vol.  i,  p.  263. 


BIBLICAL    REFERENCES    TO    EGYPT.    141 

embalmed.  The  whole  process,  it  is  said,  con- 
tinued "forty  days,"  "  and  the  mourning  seventy 
days."  Now  it  is  well  known  that  the  Egyptians 
universally  embalmed  the  bodies  of  the  dead ; 
and,  according  to  Diodorus,  thirty  (and  one 
reading  has  it  forty)  days  were  consumed  in  the 
process,  and  the  mourning  continued  seventy- 
two  days.*  The  representations  of  the  pro- 
cessions for  the  dead,  upon  the  monuments, 
seem  as  if  constructed  intentionally  to  (Ascribe 
the  funeral  train  of  Jacob. 

The  references  made  to  Egypt  in  the  first 
chapters  of  the  Book  of  Exodus  are  strongly 
confirmed.  It  is  stated  that  the  oppressed 
Israelites  were  compelled  to  make  bricks  mm- 
gled  with  straw.  It  is  doubtful  whether  such 
bricks  have  been  made  by  any  other  nation; 
and  yet  this  fact,  incidentally  and  carelessly 
alluded  to  by  Moses,  is  distinctly  attested  by 
historians  and  paintings. 

A  picture  has  been  discovered  in  an  old  tomb 
at  Thebes,  on  which  Rosellini  has  written  an 
article,  entitled  "  Explanation  of  a  Picture  rep- 
resenting the  Hebrews  as  they  were  engaged  in 
making  Brick."  "Of  the  labourers,  some  are 
employed  in  transporting  the  clay  in  vessels, 
0  Hengstenberg,  p.  71. 


142  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

some  in  intermingling  it  with  straw ;  others  are 
taking  the  bricks  out  of  the  form,  and  placing 
them  in  rows ;  still  others,  with  a  piece  of  wood 
upon  their  backs  and  ropes  on  each  side,  to  carry 
away  the  bricks  already  burned  or  dried.  Their 
dissimilarity  to  the  Egyptians  appears  at  the  first 
view ;  the  complexion,  physiognomy,  and  beard 
do  not  permit  us  to  be  mistaken  in  supposing 
them  to  be  Hebrews.  Among  them  four  Egyp- 
tians, very  distinguishable  by  their  mien,  are 
seen."* 

All  the  various  customs  alluded  to  in  the 
early  part  of  the  Book  of  Exodus  are  abundantly 
confirmed. 

The  departure  of  the  Israelites. from  Egypt 
was  an  event  so  humiliating  to  Egyptian  pride, 
that  no  account  of  it  would  be  expected  on 
Egyptian  monuments.  References  to  it  how- 
ever exist  in  ancient  histories,  but  imperfect; 
and  often  the  event  is  confounded  with  another, 
the  banishment  of  a  race  of  shepherd  kings  who 
had  previously  conquered  a  part  of  Egypt. 

The   Scripture   intimates  that  Pharaoh  was 

destroyed  in  the  Red  Sea ;  and  Wilkinson,  who 

finds  the  history  of  this  Pharaoh  under  the  name 

of  Thothmes  III.,  says  that  his  successor,  Amu- 

0  Hengstenberg,  p.  81. 


BIBLICAL    REFERENCES    TO    EGYPT.    143 

noph  II.,  is  represented  as  coming  to  the  throne 
very  young,  and  under  the  tutelage  of  his 
mother. 

Manetho,  the  most  ancient  writer  of  Egyptian 
history  whose  works  are  extant,  represents  that 
under  Tliothmes  HI.,  a  most  eminent  king,  a 
large  multitude  of  people,  left  by  the  shepherd 
kings,  (with  whom  it  is  probable  the  Israelites 
were  mingled,)  chose  Moses,  a  learned  priest  of 
Heliopolis,  for  their  leader,  who  made  a  new 
code  of  laws  for  them,  forbidding  them  to  wor- 
ship the  Egyptian  gods  and  sacred  animals. 
Lastly  they  took  arms  against  the  Egyptians, 
and  were  beaten  in  battle  and  driven  out  of  the 
country.* 

How  different  this  from  the  Biblical  account ; 
and  yet  it  is  evidently  a  perversion  of  the  true 
account,  which  is  confirmed  by  all  considerations 
of  philosophy,  as  well  as  by  a  study  of  the  geog- 
raphy of  the  description  and  contemporaneous 
history. 

The  Israelites  exhibit  many  traces  of  their 
early  Egyptian  residence.  Many  of  the  require- 
ments of  their  law  can  be  understood  only  by 
one  familiar  with  ancient  Egypt.  They  were  set 

0 History  of  Egypt,  by  Samuel  Sharpe,  p.  30.  London: 
Edward  Noxon.  1846. 


144  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

apart  to  preserve  a  knowledge  of  the  one  God 
in  the  world.  The  Egyptians  worshipped  the 
stars  as  emblems  of  gods,  and  Ra,  the  sun,  and 
Isis,  the  moon ;  but  this  the  Israelites  were  for- 
bidden under  penalty  of  death.*  The  Egyptians, 
like  others,  bowed  before  statues ;  but  the  Israel- 
ites were  to  "  make  no  image."  Some  of  the 
Egyptians  marked  their  bodies  in  honour  of 
their  gods ;  the  Israelites  must  not  cut  or  mark 
their  flesh,  f  The  Egyptians  buried  food  in  the 
tombs  with  the  bodies  of  their  friends ;  but  the 
Israelites  were  forbidden  to  set  apart  food  for 
the  dead4 

Many  rites  and  usages,  not  essentially  wrong, 
were  borrowed  by  the  Israelites,  and  remain 
perpetual  attestations  of  the  Scriptural  history. 

This  subject  is  far  from  being  exhausted.  We 
have  simply  selected  some  of  the  most  salient 
points  as  specimens  of  the  many.  It  is  evi- 
dently proof  of  insanity  to  deny  the  credibility 
of  a  history  like  that  contained  in  the  Old  Test- 
ament, authenticated  by  existing  institutions, 
by  languages,  usages,  ceremonies,  monuments, 
paintings,  other  histories,  and  by  the  immovable 
frame-work  of  nature  itself. 

0  Deut.  xvii,  3.  t  Leviticus  xix,  28. 

1  Deut.  xxvi,  14.    See  Sharped  Egypt,  p.  34. 


BAKLT    SCRIPTURE    PROPHECIES.     145 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EARLY    SCRIPTURE    PROPHECIES,  AND    THEIR 
FULFILMENT. 

IT  is  evidently  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  pre- 
dict, with  certainty,  any  future  events,  except 
those  growing  out  of  the  regular  course  of  na- 
ture. It  would  be  safe  to  foretell  that  ten  years 
hence  the  sun  will  rise  at  a  certain  hour  in  the 
morning,  and  the  moon  be  eclipsed  at  a  certain 
time,  on  a  specified  evening.  Such  predictions 
require  no  supernatural  skill  or  knowledge. 
But  the  causes  which  affect  human  and  national 
character  are  so  various  and  complicated,  that 
the  wisest  are  most  willing  to  acknowledge  that 
their  predictions  are  only  conjecture ;  and  that 
clearly  to  foresee  any  contingent  future  event 
transcends  the  power  of  man. 

Now  the  Bible  professes  to  present  a  great 
number  of  distinct  predictions,  some  of  which 
have  already  been  verified,  and  others  of  which 
it  maintains  will  be  fulfilled;  and  this  is  ap- 
pealed to  as  strong  and  satisfactory  evidence  of 
the  divine  origin  of  the  book. 
10 


146         THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Before  examining  any  specific  instances,  it  is 
well  to  inquire  when  first,  and  how  frequently, 
and  for  what  purpose,  the  prophetic  power  has 
been  given  to  man.  Even  before  the  deluge 
Noah  and  Enoch  prophesied.  The  very  act  of 
building  an  ark  was  prophetic,  and  the  reason 
assigned  for  the  act  must  have  been  prophecy. 
Of  the  prophesying  of  Enoch  we  have  no  account 
in  the  Old  Testament,  but  the  apostle  Jude  dis- 
tinctly asserts  the  fact. 

After  the  deluge,  previous  to  the  call  of  Abra- 
ham, Noah  prophesied,  in  the  memorable  bless- 
ings pronounced  upon  Japheth  and  Shem,  and  in 
the  curse  pronounced  upon  Ham  through  his 
son  Canaan.*  Subsequently  Abraham  was  styled 
a  prophet,!  probably  because  he  made  known 
the  promises  given  to  him  by  the  Almighty. 
Isaac  and  Jacob  also  prophesied,  and  Moses  and 
Joshua,  and  many  others  in  Israel  and  Judah, 
till  the  times  of  Malachi,  whose  predictions  close 
the  Old  Testament.  The  New  Testament  also 
contains  many  distinct  predictions, — some  pre- 
ceding the  birth  of  Christ,  many  uttered  by 
him  and  his  disciples.  Prophecy,  indeed,  may 
be  regarded  as  the  most  valuable  and  im- 
portant part  of  the  Old  Testament,  while  in 
«  Cten.  ix,  26,  27.  t  <**•  "•  7- 


EARLY    SCRIPTURE    PROPHECIES.       147 

the  New  Testament  it  occupies  a  subordinate 
position. 

Now  if,  when  all  men  enjoyed  the  primitive 
religion,  previous  to  the  call  of  Abraham,  God 
had  commissioned  some  to  predict  the  future,  it 
was  perfectly  natural  for  pretended  prophets  to 
arise  among  the  heathen  nations,  after  they  had 
gradually  lapsed  from  the  true  religion  into 
idolatry.  A  perfect  parallel  to  this  is  seen  in 
the  pretended  miracles  and  prophecies  of  the 
Papal  Church.  From  this  fact  some  have 
endeavoured  to  throw  discredit  on  Scripture 
prophecy,  which  effort  betrays  lamentable  ig- 
norance or  wickedness.  What  good  thing  has 
not  been  imitated  ?  Is  it  wise  to  refuse  to  take 
any  money  because  spurious  coin  is  in  circula- 
tion? Nay,  does  not  the  counterfeit  show  that 
there  must  be  some  genuine  ? 

The  wondrous  gift  of  prophecy  bestowed  upon 
the  early  chosen  people  of  God,  the  children  of 
Abraham,  had  been  heard  of  by  surrounding 
nations.  Cicero  commences  his  volume,  en- 
titled De  Dwinatione,  with  a  statement  of  this 
fact : — 

"  It  is  an  ancient  opinion,  descended  indeed 
from  the  heroic  ages,  and  strengthened  by  the 
unanimous  belief  of  the  Eoman  people,  and  of 


148  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

all  nations,  that  there  is  exercised  among  men  a 
kind  of  communion  with  God;  that  is,  a  pre- 
sentiment or  a  knowledge  of  future  things.  A 
glorious  thing  indeed,  and  healthful,  if  it  is  a 
fact,  and  elevating  our  mortal  nature  nearest  to 
the  Deity.  Principally  the  Assyrians,  on  account 
of  the  extended  plains  which  they  inhabit,  al- 
lowing the  heavens  to  be  presented  on  every 
side,  have  observed  the  passages  and  motions  of 
the  stars,  and  have  recorded  what  was  thus  sig- 
nified to  every  man." 

The  Jews  were  known  to  the  Romans  as 
Assyrians;  and  it  is  likely  that  the  fact  of 
divine  inspiration  is  dimly  represented  in  the 
above  opinion. 

With  reference  to  ancient  prophets,  we  are 
by  no  means  certain  that  there  were  not  some, 
genuinely  inspired,  whose  predictions  are  not 
recorded  in  the  Bible,  and  who  dwelt  out  of 
Judea.  Job  was  not  an  Israelite ;  Balaam  was 
certainly  a  prophet ;  and  Abimelech  and  Nebu- 
chadnezzar were  favoured  with  divine  commu- 
nications. 

The  general  expectation  of  a  great  Deliverer, 
about  the  time  of  Christ's  advent,  we  think  can- 
not rationally  be  accounted  for,  but  as  proceed- 
ing  from  actual,  true  prophecies,  received  either 


EARLY    SCRIPTURE    PROPHECIES.      149 

in  the  earliest  ages  of  the  world,  or  without  ac- 
cess to  the  Jewish  Scriptures. 

The  natives  of  Hindostan  cherished  this  -ex- 
pectation, and  frequent  mention  of  it  is  made 
in  their  Puranas  or  sacred  books.  Indeed,  the 
emperor  of  India,  like  Herod,  uneasy  at  these 
prophecies,  sent  emissaries  to  find  the  child 
and  destroy  him.  For  a  full  statement  of  this 
subject,  see  Captain  F.  "Wilford's  article  on  the 
Origin  and  Decline  of  the  Christian  Religion 
in  India,  Asiatic  Researches,  vol.  x,  p.  27. 

The  wise  men  of  the  East  doubtless  visited 
Bethlehem  under  the  influence  of  this  prophecy. 
The  Chinese  also  had  such  a  prophecy;  and 
so  vivid  was  their  expectation  of  the  Messiah, 
"  the  Great  Saint,  who,"  as  Confucius  says, 
"was  to  appear  in  the  West,"  that  they  too 
sent  envoys  to  hail  the  Redeemer.*  That  the 
Romans  had  a  collection  of  remarkable  prophe- 
cies, called  the  Sibylline  Books,  is  a  well-attested 
historical  fact.  They  were  destroyed  by  fire 
about  a  century  before  Christ,  the  later  books 
being  forgeries ;  but  some  extracts  remain,  and 
none  so  remarkable  as  the  one  woven  into  the 
fourth  eclogue  of  Virgil,  beautifully  translated 
by  Pope,  and  by  him  entitled  The  Messiah. 
°6ee  Schlegel's  Philosophy  of  History,  vol.  i,  p.  176. 


150  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

In  the  writings  of  Cicero  (Ciceronis  Frag- 
menta,  vol.  xv,  p. "52.  Ed.  Maii)  is  preserved  a 
prediction,  which,  to  say  the  least,  applies  beau- 
tifully and  forcibly  to  our  own  country  and 
Washington.  The  literal  translation  of  it  is  as 
follows : — 

"  Far  beyond  the  ocean,  if  we  may  credit  the 
Sibylline  Books,  there  shall  be  discovered,  many 
centuries  hence,  a  large  and  opulent  continent ; 
and  in  it  shall  arise  a  man,  brave  and  wise,  who 
shall  deliver  by  his  counsel  and  arms  his  country 
from  oppressive  servitude,  and  shall  found  a  re- 
public under  happy  auspices,  very  like  our  own 
in  origin  and  other  particulars :  and  this  man, 
good  gods !  shall  be  much  and  deservedly  pre- 
ferred to  Brutus  and  Camillus." 

This  prophecy  did  not  escape  the  notice  of 
Attius,  who,  in  his  work  entitled  N~yctegresia, 
adorned  the  old  oracle  with  poetic  numbers. 

False  prophets  among  the  heathen  were  imi- 
tators, and  gradually  degenerated  into  jugglers 
and  necromancers, — a  class  of  people  not  legally 
tolerated  among  the  Israelites.  Avarice  was 
their  ruling  passion,  and  skilful  deception  their 
chief  reliance.  A  few  chance  predictions,  bear- 
ing every  mark  of  mere  happy  conjectures,  are 
all  that  is  left  to  their  credit,  while  many  posi- 


EARLY    SCRIPTURE    PROPHECIES.       151 

tive  falsehoods  and  intentional  ambiguities,  to 
say  nothing  of  their  more  glaring  vices,  are  re- 
corded against  them  by  the  historians  of  their 
day. 

The  sibyls  or  priestesses,  who  pretended  to  be 
able  to  read  the  future,  dwelt  in  the  heathen 
temples,  were  propitiated  with  gifts,  and  either 
pretended  it,  or  actually,  from  physical  exhaus- 
tion, fell  into  a  sort  of  mania,  in  the  midst  of 
which  they  would  reply  to  questions  generally 
in  answers  obscure  and  capable  of  opposite  in- 
terpretations. They  were  often  bribed,  and  made 
use  of  every  secret  means  to  obtain  information 
on  the  subjects  upon  which  they  were  consulted; 
and  yet  not  a  single  instance  is  on  record  of  a 
clear,  important  prediction  uttered  by  any  one 
of  them. 

One  about  to  visit  a  foreign  land  sought  in- 
formation as  to  his  safety,  and  received  the  re- 
ply,— -"  Ibis,  redibis,  nunquam,  peribis," — which 
may  be  translated,  "  You  shall  go,  you  shall  re- 
turn never,  you  shall  perish."  By  inserting  a 
pause  after  return,  it  was  a  promise  of  safety  and 
success ;  but  by  inserting  a  pause  after  never,  it 
was  a  prediction  of  sure  destruction.  The  oracle 
was  sure  to  be  right ! 

When  Croesus  intended  to  make  war  upon  the 


152  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Medes  and  Persians,  he  consulted  the  oracle  at 
Delphi  as  to  his  success ;  the  answer  was,  "  By 
passing  the  river  Helys,  and  fighting  with  the 
Persians,  a  great  empire  will  be  ruined."  But 
which  empire,  his  own  or  the  enemy's,  the  ora- 
cle did  not  deign  to  designate. 

In  like  manner  Pyrrhus,  about  to  attack  the 
Romans,  consulted  the  same  oracle  and  received 
the  following  reply :  "  Aio  te,  ^Eacide,  Romanos 
vincere  posse;"  which,  translated  literally,  be- 
comes, "I  say  that  you,  O  son  of  ^Eacus,  the 
Romans  are  able  to  conquer."  But  whether  the 
Romans  were  able  to  conquer,  or  Pyrrhus,  who 
could  decide  ? 

What  man  of  sense  and  candour  would  com- 
pare such  jugglery  with  Scripture  predictions? 

The  prophets  of  the  Jews  could  not  prostitute 
their  gift  for  gain,  but  for  the  most  part  were 
humble,  unassuming,  and  often  poor  men.  Their 
faithfulness  in  reproving  vice  often  subjected 
them  to  persecution,  and  the  apostle  graphically 
says  of  them:  "They  were  stoned,  they  were 
sawn  asunder,  were  slain  with  the  sword :  they 
wandered  about  in  sheep-skins  and  goat-skins, 
being  destitute,  afflicted,  tormented."  Their  re- 
ward in  this  world  is  also  alluded  to  by  Christ, 
Matthew  v,  11, 12. 


EAKLY    BOEIPTUKE    PROPHECIES.       153 

The  primary  object  of  prophecy  was  to  awaken 
the  attention  of  the  people  to  the  will  of  God,  to 
deter  them  from  sin,  and  to  encourage  them  in 
the  performance  of  duty,  notwithstanding  any 
difficulties.  Another  great  purpose  effected  by 
it  is  the  establishment  of  the  truth  of  revelation 
on  a  basis  broad  as  the  earth,  and  firm  as  the 
history  of  the  world. 

It  would  obviously  not  comport  with  our  de- 
sign to  examine  in  detail  the  prophecies  of  the 
Bible,  but  only  to  explain  a  few  that  present 
marked  and  strong  confirmation  of  its  divine 
origin.  It  is  said  of  Ishmael  in  Genesis  xvi,  12, 
"  And  he  will  be  a  wild  man ;  his  hand  will  be 
against  every  man,  and  every  man's  hand  against 
him :  and  he  shall  dwell  in  the  presence  of  all  his 
brethren." 

In  Genesis  xvii,  18,  Abraham  is  represented 
as  praying,  "  O  that  Ishmael  might  live  before 
thee  !"  The  answer  of  God  is :  "As  for  Ishmael, 
I  have  heard  thee.  Behold,  I  have  blessed  him, 
and  will  make  him  fruitful,  and  will  multiply 
him  exceedingly :  twelve  princes  shall  he  beget, 
and  I  will  make  him  a  great  nation." 

Now  this  prophecy  was  uttered  nearly  two 
thousand  years  before  Christ,  and  the  striking 
point  of  it  is,  that  it  has  been  confirmed  by  the 


154  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

history  of  more  than  three  thousand  years,  and 
is  now  confirmed  by  the  modern  Arabs ;  and, 
moreover,  is  of  such  a  nature  that  it  would  not 
have  been  true  of  any  other  man  or  tribe  then 
living,  or  that  has  ever  lived.  A  stronger 
prophecy,  therefore,  could  not  be  devised  or 
imagined.  It  is  a  positive  absurdity  to  suppose 
that  any  but  the  Omniscient  Being  could  have 
published  it. 

By  Ishmael  is  to  be  understood  his  race,  or 
descendants. 

1.  "We  have,  first,  then  designated  their  char- 
acter :  "  He  shall   be  a  wild   man."     As   the 
original  gives  us  to  understand,  they  shall  be  a 
race  like  wild  asses.* 

2.  We   have,   second,   the   numerousness   of 
the  race  promised.     "He   shall  beget  twelve 
princes."     "  I  will  multiply  him  exceedingly." 
"  I  will  make  him  a  great  nation." 

3.  We  have,  third,  his  permanency  and  the 
place  of  his  residence.     "  He  shall  dwell  in  the 
presence  of  all  his  brethren." 

It  is  only  necessary  to  assert  that  these  three 
particulars  are  amply  fulfilled  in  the  Arabs,  a 
portion  of  whom  are  the  descendants  of  Ish- 
mael. 

0  Literally,  "  He  shall  be  a  wild-ass  man." 


EARLY     SCRIPTURE     PROPHECIES.      155 

1.  "  As  wild  as  an  Arab  "  is  a  proverb.   They 
have  never  been  at  peace  with  their  neighbours, 
and  we  may  safely  say  never  will  be,  till  the 
period  of  this  prophecy  runs  out,  absorbed  as  it 
will  be  in  the  great  universal  prophecy,  which 
foretells  the  conversion  of  the  world  and  the  un- 
limited reign  of  the  Prince  of  peace.    Now,  as 
for  many  centuries,  the  Bedouins,  doubtless  the 
purest   descendants   of  Ishmael,   regard   them- 
selves, and   are   regarded,  as  a  peculiar  race, 
asserting  and  enjoying  a  wild  independence;  in 
the  language  of  prophecy,  "  their  hands  against 
every   man,   and    every    man's    hands   against 
them."     To  adopt  their  own  morality,  they  do 
not  rob  ;  "  they  take  "  or  "  gain,"  and  travellers 
must  unite  in  a  caravan"  and  arm  themselves  to 
cross   the   desert,   their    home,   without   being 
plundered. 

2.  The   promised   increase  of  the  race  was 
rapidly  fulfilled.     He  had  twelve  sons,  princes, 
whose   names    are   recorded,    Gen.  xxv,  13-15. 
The  present  population  of  Arabia  is  estimated  at 
about  twelve  millions,  though  how  large  a  por- 
tion  of  them  are  actually  descendants  of  Ish- 
mael it  is  impossible  to  determine. 

3.  The  place  of  their  residence,  and  their  per- 
manence  as  a  people,  are   designated  in  the 


156  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

expression,  "  He  shall  dwell  in  the  presence  of 
all  his  brethren."  This  may  be  translated,  "  He 
shall  dwell  in  the  faces  of  all  his  brethren," 
which  would  simply  mean  that  the  Ishmaelites 
should  be  east  of  and  contiguous  to  the  Jews. 
Many  commentators  have  supposed  that  the 
Ishmaelites  are  in  this  prophecy  pronounced 
unconquerable.  We  do  not  so  understand  it,  in 
the  full  import  of  the  word.  They  are,  how- 
ever, to  dwell  in  a  certain  place,  and  to  preserve 
a  certain  distinct  national  character.  This  al- 
ways has  been  verified,  and  they  have  never 
been  reduced  to  servitude  so  as  to  lose  any  of 
their  wild  independence.  They  have  escaped 
or  successfully  resisted  the  armies  that  had  con- 
quered all  the  world  besides.  The  Assyrians, 
Medes,  and  Persians,  gave  up  the  conquest  of 
Arabia  in  despair.  Alexander  the  Great  was 
insulted  by  them,  and  died  when  meditating 
their  subjugation  ;  and  the  iron-armed  and  iron- 
hearted  Romans  never  subdued  Arabia  but  in 
name.  Even  the  sneering  Gibbon,  after  an  un- 
worthy attempt  to  show  that  Arabia  had  been 
conquered,  is  compelled  by  historic  truth  to  add, 
"  The  body  of  the  nation  has  escaped  the  yoke 
of  the  most  powerful  monarchies ;  the  arms  of 
Sesostris  and  Cyrus,  of  Pompey  and  Trajan, 


EARLY     SCRIPTURE     PROPHJECIES.      157 

could  never  achieve  the  conquest  of  Arabia; 
the  present  sovereign  of  the  Turks  may  exercise 
a  shadow  of  jurisdiction,  but  his  pride  is  reduced 
to  solicit  the  friendship  of  a  people  whom  it 
is  dangerous  to  provoke  and  fruitless  to  at- 
tack."* 

With  the  state  of  the  country  in  which  they 
live  we  have  nothing  to  do— none  but  one  in- 
structed by  the  All-wise  Being  could  have  fore- 
seen that  the  descendants  of  Ishmael  should  for 
successive  ages  occupy  that  territory,  or  forever 
retain  their  peculiar  character. 

The  statement  of  Sir  William  Jones  upon  this 
subject  is  very  explicit: — 

"The  Arabs  have  never  been  entirely  sub- 
dued, nor  has  any  impression  been  made  upon 
them,  except  on  their  borders ;  where  indeed 
the  Phrenicians,  Persians,  Ethiopians,  Egyptians, 
and  in  modern  times,  the  Othman  Tartars,  have 
severally  acquired  settlements ;  but,  with  these 
exceptions,  the  ^natives  of  Hejaz  and  Yemen 
have  preserved  for  ages  the  sole  dominion  of 
their  deserts  and  pastures,  their  mountains  and 
fertile  valleys.  Thus  apart  from  the  rest  of  man- 
kind, this  extraordinary  people  have  retained 

0  Decline  and  Fall  of  Koman  Empire,  chapter  1,  vol.  v, 
p.  82.  Boston  edition. 


158  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

their  primitive  manners  and  language,  features 
and  character,  as  long  and  as  remarkably  as  the 
Hindoos  themselves.* 

The  next  important  prophecy  which  our  de- 
sign leads  us  to  examine,  is  the  speech  of  dying 
Jacob.  If  a  dying  man  is  blest  with  reason,  we 
instinctively  attribute  great  importance  to  his 
words.  We  hang  over  his  couch,  and  breath- 
lessly listen  to  the  feeble  articulations  express- 
ing the  thoughts  and  wishes  of  the  spirit  just 
about  to  stand  before  God,  If  ever  prophetic 
words  would  be  indelibly  enstamped  on  the 
memory,  it  would  be  the  language  of  a  dying 
father.  Enter  then  the  tent  of  Jacob,  and,  draw- 
ing aside  the  curtain,  behold  the  venerable  pa- 
triarch, supported  on  his  bed,  while  his  twelve 
sons  with  their  children  are  gathered  kneeling 
around  him.  His  words  come  heavily,  but 
to  him 

"  A  thousand  years  which  yet  supine 

Lie  like  the  ocean  waves  ere  winds  arise, 

Heaving  in  dark  and  sullen  undulation, 
Float  from  eternity  into  those  eyes." 

His  has  been  an  eventful  life.  "  Few  and  evil 
his  days  have  been."  He  began  his  life  with 
deception,  and  bitterly  has  he  been  punished. 
His  loved  son,  Joseph,  was  torn  from  him  by 

0  Asiatic  Researches,  voL  ii,  p.  3. 


EARLY    SCRIPTURE     PROPHECIES.        159 

his  depraved  brothers,  as  he  thought  by  wild 
beasts,  though  in  it  all  was  exhibited  the  kind 
providence  of  God ;  afterward  he  escaped  starv- 
ation only  by  perilling  the  life  of  his  other 
beloved  son,  and  even  that  was  designed  to  lead 
him  down  to  Egypt,  where  his  descendants 
should  be  properly  trained.  But  though  he 
sinned,  and  suffered  for  his  sin,  his  last  years 
were  years  of  piety;  and  since  he  had  been 
called  Israel,  because  he  had  prevailed  with 
God,  and  his  prayers  were  answered,  no  crime 
had  stained  his  life.  And  now  the  pious  Israel, 
summoning  his  last  mortal  energies,  while  the 
Spirit  -of  God  strengthens  and  teaches  him, 
gently  places  his  trembling  hand  upon  the  head 
of  his  first-born,  Reuben.  A  father's  heart  was 
his,  and  he  would  fain  have  blessed  him ;  but  he 
must  speak  as  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost: 
"Reuben,  thou  art  my  first-born,  my  might,  and 
the  beginning  of  my  strength,  the  excellency  of 
dignity,  and  the  excellency  of  power :  unstable 
as  water,  thou  shalt  not  excel  /  because  thou 
wentest  up  to  thy  father's  bed  ;  then  defiledst  thou 
it :  he  went  up  to  my  couch" 

This  doom,  "Thou  shalt  not  excel,"  was 
clearly,  fulfilled  in  Reuben  and  his  tribe.  The 
oldest  son,  he  might  have  expected  to  receive 


160  THE    YOUNG  MAN   ADVISED. 

the  preeminence  and  the  double  portion;  but 
the  preeminence  was  given  to  Judah,  and  the 
double  portion  to  Joseph.  On  leaving  Egypt 
his  tribe  numbered  forty-six  thousand  five  hun- 
dred adult  males,  making  it  only  the  seventh 
tribe  in  number ;  and  after  a  few  years,  when 
the  census  was  again  taken,  it  had  decreased  to 
forty-three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty, 
making  it  only  the  ninth ;  and  subsequently  it 
became  in  power,  and  probably  in  population, 
the  lowest  tribe  in  Israel,  and  was  finally  among 
the  first  to  be  carried  away  captive  and  lost. 
Now  this  did  not  take  place  till  centuries  after 
even  Moses,  the  writer  of  this  book,  died.  How 
could  dying  Jacob  have  foreseen  it  ? 

The  old  man  now  places  his  trembling  hand 
on  his  next  two  sons  and  exclaims :  "  Simeon  and 
Levi  a/re  "brethren  ;  instruments  of  cruelty  cure  in 
their  habitations.  O  my  soul,  come  not  thou  into 
their  secret;  unto  their  assembly,  mine  honour, 
be  not  thou  united!  for  m  their  anger  they  slew 
a  man,  and  m  their  self -will  they  digged  down 
a  wall.  Cursed  be  their  anger,  for  it  was  fierce: 
and  their  wrath,  for  it  was  cruel :  I  will  dwide 
them  m  Jacob,  and  scatter  them  in  Israel" 

Simeon  and  Levi  had  been  fierce,  turbulent, 
and  ungovernable,  and  the  source  of  inexpressi- 


EARLY     SCRIPTURE    PROPHECIES.        161 

ble  trouble  and  grief  to  their  father.  Even 
when  dying,  he  was  compelled  to  disavow  any 
participation  in  their  crimes,  and  to  call  upon 
his  honour  to  disclaim  all  intimacy  with  them. 
Behold  their  punishment.  Brothers  in  crime, 
they  must  share  the  penalty :  "I  will  divide 
them  in  Jacob,  and  scatter  them  in  Israel." 
K~ow  behold  its  fulfilment.  Long  after  the  death 
of  Jacob,  the  tribe  of  Simeon,  once  numbering 
fifty-nine  thousand  three  hundred  men,  was  re- 
duced, no  doubt  on  account  of  their  wickedness, 
to  twenty-two  thousand,  losing  more  than  any 
other  tribe ;  and  still  farther,  after  the  death 
of  Moses,  under  Joshua,  by  apparent  accident, 
they  had  no  exclusive  territory  assigned  to  them 
in  the  apportionment  of  Canaan ;  but  as  the 
territory  of  Judah  was  too  large  for  that  tribe, 
they  were  sent  to  occupy  a  part  of  Judah.  This 
we  learn  from  Joshua  xix,  1-9.  But  afterward 
the  Judahites  reoccupied  at  least  a  part  of  this, 
certainly  the  cities  Beersheba  and  Ziklag. 
1  Sam.  xxvii,  6;  2  Sam.  xxiv,  7.  Thus  were 
they  in  fact  "divided  <md  scattered"  Who 
could  have  foreseen  it  ? 

Levi  also  received  the  accomplishment  of  the 
prophecy  in  a  different  and  very  remarkable 

way.    His  descendants  were  all  chosen  as  priests, 
11 


162  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

and  had  their  cities  appointed  in  all  parts  of 
Israel;  nor  did  they  solely  occupy  even  these. 
They  were  divided  and  scattered,  but  perhaps 
not  thus  cursed. 

No  doubt,  wearied  with  predicting  evil,  the 
old  man  with  a  smile  of  gladness  lifted  his  hands 
from  Simeon  and  Levi,  and  placed  them  upon 
their  own  brother  Judah.  He  was  the  man  who 
had  induced  his  brethren  to  sell  Joseph  rather 
than  to  slay  him ;  he  was  the  man  that  afterward 
offered  to  be  a  slave  for  life  to  deliver  his  brother 
Benjamin ;  and  for  these  traits  he  was  justly  be- 
loved. 

The  name  Judah  signifies  praise.  "  Judah, 
thou  art  he  whom  thy  brethren  shall  PRAISE; 
thy  hand  shall  be  in  the  neck  of  thine  enemies  ; 
thy  father's  children  shall  low  down  before 
thee." 

The  point  of  this  and  the  subsequent  blessing 
is,  that  Judah  should  be  the  ruler,  having  the 
supreme  authority,  receiving  the  preeminence 
due  to  Reuben.  Hence  he  is  compared  to  the 
king  of  beasts,  the  lion.  "  Judah  is  a  lion's 
whelp  /  from  the  prey,  my  son,  thou  art  gone 
up :  he  stooped  down,  he  couched  as  a  lion,  and 
as  an  old  Uon :  who  shall  rouse  him  up  ?" 

The  following  passage  of  prophecy  is  truly  re- 


EARLY    SCRIPTURE    PROPHECIES. 


163 


markable :  "  TJte  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from 
Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver  from  bet/ween  his  feet,  until 
Shttoh  come" 

To  see  its  force,  observe, 

1.  When  the  prophecy  was  uttered  Judah  had 
no  superior  power  or  dignity.  He  was  a  simple 
private  man,  the  ruler  only  of  his  own  house- 
hold ;  nor  did  Judah  obtain  any  such  power  for 
many  generations.  Moses,  the  first  ruler  of  the 
nation,  and  the  very  man  who  wrote  these  pre- 
dictions, (though  Jacob  uttered  them  nearly  two 
hundred  years  before,)  was  not  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  but  of  Levi.  Joshua,  the  next  ruler,  was 
of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim.  Of  the  fifteen  judges 
of  Israel,  who  ruled  the  people  till  they  appointed 
a  king,  only  three  were  of  Judah ;  and  what  is 
the  most  remarkable  of  all,  the  first  king  of  the 
nation,  Saul,  was  not  of  Judah,  but  of  Benjamin. 
So  slow  was  the  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy,  and 
so  absolutely  beyond  even  the  conjecture  of  a 
mortal  mind.  But 

"  God  is  his  own  interpreter, 
And  he  will  make  it  plain." 

About  five  hundred  years  after  the  prediction 
was  uttered,  Dcwid  was  appointed  king,  and 
Judah  began  to  rule.  Dying  Jacob  had  said, 
"  The  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah :"  it 


164 


THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 


was  five  centuries  before  Judah  grasped  any 
sceptre,  or  perhaps  thought  of  doing  so,  and 
even  then  did  it  without  any  reference  to  the 
prediction ;  but,  having  grasped  it,  it  never  de- 
parted till  Shiloh  came. 

2.  Observe,  secondly,  that  the  word  sceptre  im- 
plies a  superiority  in  the  power  of  government, 
to  be  enjoyed  only  over  his  brethren,  the  other 
Israelites ;  and  though  subsequently  Judah  him- 
self was  carried  for  a  time  into  captivity,  yet 
even  there  the  sceptre  was  still  held.     During 
their  captivities  the  Jews  retained  their  religion, 
and  many  of  their  civil  institutions.*     The  scep- 
tre  may  be  said  to  have  passed  away  from 
Judah,  and  his  lawgivers  to  have  ceased,  when 
Herod  the  Great  died,  who  was  the  last  man 
that  exhibited  any  independence  as  the  king  of 
the  Jews.     His  son  Archelaus  was  indeed  eth- 
narch  under  the  Romans  nine  years,  and  then 
deposed,  and  Judea  was  henceforth  governed  by 
Romans.     Now  in  the  last  year  of  Herod  the 
Great,  Jesus  Christ  was  born. 

3.  We  understand,  then,  by  Shiloh,  the  Mes- 
siah.   The  exact  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  term 
Shiloh  is  undetermined ;  or,  rather,  it  will  bear 
two  or  three  significations.     All  of  these,  how- 

9  See  the  books  of  Daniel  and  Ezra. 


EARLY     SCRIPTURE     PROPHECIES.       165 

ever,  point  out  the  Messiah.  The  ancient  Jews 
themselves  all  understood  this  to  foretell  the 
coming  of  Christ.  The  Targum  of  Onkelos  was 
composed  by  a  learned  Jew,  contemporary  with 
Christ,  and  is  a  valuable  Jewish  commentary 
on  the  Pentateuch.  That  renders  this  passage 
as  follows :  "  One  having  the  principality  shall 
not  be  taken  from  the  house  of  Judah,  nor  a 
scribe  from  his  children's  children,  until  the 
Messiah  come,  whose  th6  kingdom  is."* 

The  Jerusalem  Targum,  written  not  earlier 
than  the  eighth  century  after  Christ,  renders  it: 
"  Kings  shall  not  fail  from  the  house  of  Judah, 
nor  skilful  doctors  of  the  law  from  their  chil- 
dren's children,  till  the  time  when  the  King 
Messiah  shall  come."f 

All  the  ancient  versions,  the  Septuagint,  Syriac, 
Samaritan,  and  Arabian,  confirm  this  rendering. 
How  beautifully  was  this  prophecy  fulfilled ! 
Christ  came  when  Judah's  sceptre  departed,  and 
unto  him  was  the  gathering  of  the  Gentiles.  Jew 
and  Gentile  together  received  him,  and  were 
made  the  sons  of  God ;  and  the  Christian  Church 

became,  and  is  now,  the  true  Israel  of  Jehovah. 

• 

0  Eight  Dissertations  on  Certain  Prophetical  Passages  of 
Holy  Scripture.  By  George  Stanley  Faber,  B.  D.  London,  1 845. 
VoL  i,  p.  199.  t  Id-,  P-  200. 


166  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

The  rest  of  this  prophecy  simply  denotes  what 
was  amply  verified,  that  the  land  of  Judah 
should  be  extremely  fertile,  so  that  wine  and 
milk  should  be  as  abundant  as  water.  It  may 
also  have  a  typical  reference  to  the  sufferings 
and  triumph  of  Christ. 

Zebulun  next  received  the  blessing  of  his 
father,  and  many  years  afterward  enjoyed  its 
confirmation.  The  historian  could  not  more 
tersely  and  correctly  describe  the  condition  of 
this  tribe,  than  did  the  prophet  before  as  yet 
the  tribe  existed.  "  Zebulun  shall  dwell  at  the 
haven  of  the  sea ;  and  he  shall  "be  for  a  haven 
of  ships :  and  his  border  shall  be  unto  Zidon" 

Judah  had  been  compared  to  a  lion.  Issa- 
char  is  now  termed  an  ass;  not  in  reproach,  but 
with  reference  to  the  strength,  and  docility,  and 
industry  of  the  tribe. 

"  Issachar  is  a  strong  ass,  crouching  down  be- 
tween two  burdens :  and  he  saw  that  rest  was 
good,  and  the  land  that  it  was  pleasant ;  and 
lowed  his  shoulder  to  bear,  and  became  a  servant 
unto  tribute" 

"Wealthy  and  strong,  industrious  and  cheerful 
was  this  tribe,  having  a  goodly  heritage.  How 
much  their  pleasant  residence  tempted  the  cu- 
pidity of  their  enemies,  we  know  not ;  and  how 


EARLY     SCRIPTURE     PROPHECIES.      167 

much  they  were  oppressed  by  tribute,  we  can- 
not tell;  but  doubtless  the  prediction  was 
amply  fulfilled. 

The  old  man  then  placed  his  hand  upon  Dan, 
and  blessed  him,  pronouncing  him  too  the 
prince  of  a  tribe,  though  the  son  of  Bilhah. 
The  word  Dan  signifies  judge.  "Dan  shall 
judge  his  people,  as  one  of  the  tribes  of  Israel" 
He  is  then  compared  to  a  serpent,  an  adder, 
signifying  that  the  tribe  should  be  subtle,  and 
accomplish  its  purposes  more  by  stratagem  than 
industry.  This  was  confirmed  in  the  character 
of  Samson,  and  in  the  transaction  related  in 
Judges  xviii,  27-29. 

The  physical  strength  of  the  dying  patriarch 
seems  here  to  have  failed,  and  he  addresses 
himself  in  earnest  prayer  to  God.  "  /  have 
waited  for  thy  salvation,  0  Lord"  His  prayer 
was  answered,  and  his  life  prolonged  yet  a  few 
moments,  till  he  could  place  his  hand  upon  his 
five  remaining  sons.  His  words,  however,  to 
all  but  Joseph  are  brief. 

Gad  signifies  good  fortune.  He  therefore 
exclaims,  "  Gad,  a  troop  shall  overcome  him: 
but  he  shall  overcome  at  the  last."  This  was 
accomplished  in  the  repeated  contests  of  this 
tribe  with  the  surrounding  Arabian  hordes. 


168  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Often  overcome,  they  discomfited  their  foes  at 
last,  though  always  compelled  to  be  a  warlike 
tribe. 

"  Out  of  Asher  his  bread  shall  be  fat,  and  he 
shall  yield  royal  dainties  /"  all  of  which  was 
abundantly  confirmed. 

The  blessing  pronounced  upon  Naphtali  is  in 
these  words :  "]¥a/phtali  is  a  hind  let  loose :  he 
gvveth  goodly  words  /"  which  would  imply  lib- 
erty and  prosperity.  The  original,  however,  will 
bear  the  construction  given  to  it  by  the  Septua- 
gint :  "  Naphtali  is  a  wide-spread  tree,  bearing 
lovely  branches."  This  would  seem  to  be  beau- 
tifully expressive  of  the  woodland  country, 
abounding  in  fruit,  which  became  the  portion 
of  this  prosperous  tribe.  This  was,  some  of  the 
time  at  least,  the  most  numerous  tribe  of 
Israel. 

The  old  man  now  summons  his  remaining 
strength  to  bless  his  beloved  Joseph.  Joseph — 
the  greatest  man  in  Egypt  next  to  the  king — 
was  kneeling  before  him  like  his  brethren,  to 
receive  his  father's  dying  benediction ;  and  how 
the  patriarch's  heart  seems  to  warm  with  affec- 
tion as  he  blesses  that  beloved  son  I 

"  Joseph  is  a  fruitful  bough,  even  a  fruitful 
bough  by  a  well,  whose  branches  run  over  the 


EARLY    SCRIPTURE    PROPHEOIE8.      169 

wall.  The  archers  have  sorely  grieved  him,  and 
shot  at  him,  and  hated  him :  but  his  bow  abode  m 
strength,  and  the  arms  of  his  hands  were  made 
strong  by  the  hands  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob : 
(from  thence  is  the  Shepherd,  the  Stone  of  Israel ;) 
even  by  the  God  of  thy  father,  who  shall  help 
thee,  and  by  the  Almighty,  who  shall  bless  thee 
with  blessings  of  heaven  above,  blessings  of  the 
deep  that  lieth  under,  blessings  of  the  breasts 
and  of  the  womb :  the  blessings  of  thy  father 
have  prevailed  above  the  blessings  of  my  progen- 
itors, unto  the  utmost  bound  of  the  everlasting 
hills  ;  they  shall  be  on  the  head  of  Joseph,  and 
on  the  crown  of  the  head  of  him  that  was  sepa- 
rate from  his  brethren." 

The  two  powerful  tribes  of  Ephraim  and  Ma- 
nasseh  were  descended  from  Joseph,  and  fully 
enjoyed  in  after  years  the  glowing  prophetic 
blessings  pronounced  on  their  common  father. 

But  one  son  remained,  and  he,  the  youngest 
and  the  beloved  Benjamin,  doubtless  now  ex- 
pected a  delightful  prospect ;  but,  alas !  the  truth 
was  sad,  and  dying  Jacob  must  speak  as  moved 
of  God.  . "  Benjamin  shall  raven  as  a  wolf:  in 
the  morning  he  shall  devour  the  prey,  and  at 
night  he  shall  divide  the  spoil"  The  ungovern- 
able temper  and  ferocity  of  this  tribe  rendered 


170  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

them  conspicuous.  In  civil  war  they  were  nearly 
destroyed,  and  finally  became  merged  with  the 
tribe  of  Judah. 

We  have  thus  examined  this  beautiful  train 
of  prophecies,  and  we  ask  any  candid  person 
how  this  accurate  and  abundant  knowledge  of 
the  future  could  have  been  obtained  but  from 
God?  "When  the  coming  history  of  these  tribes 
was  announced,  the  tribes  themselves  were  but 
single  families,  presided  over  by  their  fathers,  yet 
in  Egypt  all  alike  shepherds :  when  it  was  writ- 
ten they  had  not  yet  received  their  territory,  and 
the  prophecy  was  not  confirmed  till  centuries 
after  both  Jacob  and  Moses  died.  In  all  this 
behold  the  omniscience  of  God ! 

The  dying  patriarch,  after  blessing  his  sons, 
had  just  time  to  express  his  last  personal  wish, 
that  his  body  might  be  buried  in  the  same  field 
with  his  grand-parents,  Abraham  and  Sarah, 
and  his  beloved  Rebekah  and  Leah ;  and  then, 
in  the  peculiar  language  of  Moses,  "  he  gath- 
ered up  his  feet  into  the  bed,"  the  last  struggle 
went  over  him,  "  he  yielded  up  the  ghost."  or 
surrendered  his  spirit  to  God,  "  and  was  gath- 
ered unto  his  people." 

He  was  now  in  the  presence  of  the  sons  of 


EARLY     SCRIPTURE     PROPHECIES.       171 

light.  God  grant  that  our  lives  may  be  like 
the  latter  part  of  Jacob's,  and  that  our  last  end 
may  be  as  happy  as  his  !  And  when  we  admire 
the  prophetic  wisdom  God  displayed  through 
him,  let  us  also  pray  for  his  faith  and  zeal,  that 
we  may  prevail  too  with  God,  and  at  last  enter 
the  world  where  "  we  shall  see  as  we  are  seen, 
and  know  as  we  are  known." 


172  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 


CHAPTEE  X. 

THE  MIBACLES  OP  THE  EXODUS. 

THE  Old  Testament  cannot  be  appreciated  with- 
out constantly  keeping  in  mind  its  great  plan, 
or  the  grand  design  of  the  Almighty,  the  execu- 
tion of  which  is  detailed  in  these  Scriptures. 
That  design  was  to  reveal  the  character  of  God, 
and  the  duty  and  destiny  of  man,  the  revela- 
tion of  which  was  to  be  gradual,  and  not  com- 
pleted until  the  Messiah  should  come.  From 
former  observations  it  appears  that  a  revelation, 
sufficiently  clear  to  make  men  holy,  and  to  se- 
cure their  salvation,  was  given  to  the  whole 
world  in  the  earliest  ages.  The  idea  of  the  orig- 
inal barbarity,  or  even  ignorance  of  man,  is  ut- 
terly untenable,  both  from  the  Bible  and  from 
the  scanty  records  or  traditions  of  antiquity  pre- 
served among  men.  This  degrading  notion, 
which  cannot  be  entertained  by  any  person  who 
has  examined  carefully  the  subject,  has  pre- 
vailed in  modern  times,  partly  from  limited  ob- 
servation, and  partly  from  a  wild  and  disgraceful 


THE    MIRACLES    OF    THE    EXODUS.      173 

theory  of  some  infidels  of  the  modern  French 
school.  It  was  also  entertained  by  some  an- 
cient infidels  among  the  heathen,  such  as  Lu- 
cretius. 

It  is  true  that  the  most  enlightened  nations  of 
the  present  age  are  descended  from  tribes  that 
were  partially  barbarous,  though  by  no  means 
generally  so  degraded  and  ignorant  as  many 
have  thought.  These  were  gradually  improved 
and  civilized,  not  by  their  own  efforts,  but  by 
intercourse  with  wiser  nations.  From  this  his- 
torical fact  theorists  have  hastily  inferred  that 
other  nations  and  the  whole  race  have  passed 
through  the  same  stages  of  advancement.  This 
inference,  however,  is  positively  false. 

Chateaubriand  and  others  have  gone  still  fur- 
ther, and,  giving  reins  to  a  wild  fancy,  utterly 
unobservant  of  the  most  ancient  history,  much 
of  which  has  been  brought  to  light  since  they 
lived,  have  even  taught  that  man  was  originally 
an  ape  or  an  orang-outang,  and  has  by  degrees 
become  a  far  more  exalted,  but,  as  Eousseau 
would  have  us  believe,  a  far  less  happy  beast,  a 
civilized  human  being.  Perhaps  there  are  no 
limits  to  fancy,  and  for  diversion  it  may  be 
proper  to  indulge  it ;  but  when  a  miscalled  phi- 
losopher disregards  the  teachings  of  facts  and 


174  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

publishes  his  dreams  as  truths,  or  the  deductions 
of  reason,  he  proves  himself  a  knave  or  a  fool. 

It  is  to  be  lamented  that  the  shallow  conclu- 
sions of  an  ignorant,  sceptical  age  have  taken  so 
strong  a  hold  upon  the  common  mind  as  to 
have  given  general  currency  to  several  phrases 
founded  in  false  theory  and  sure  to  produce 
false  impressions.  What  means  the  expression 
"state  of  nature,"  so  flippantly  employed  by 
many  to  denote  the  savage  state  ?  If  the  sav- 
age state  be  the  state  of  nature,  or  the  state  in 
which  man  most  corresponds  with  the  laws  of 
the  world  in  which  he  is  placed,  God  grant 
that  the  world  may  speedily  become  savage,  and 
the  barbaric  millennium  soon  be  ushered  in !  It 
should  be  a  constant  effort  of  preachers  and 
teachers,  and  of  all  who  contribute  to  make  a 
theory  public,  to  disabuse  the  minds  of  the 
people  of  this  notion,  so  repugnant  to  Scripture, 
and  ancient  history,  and  sound  philosophy.  We 
speak  only  of  the  first  men  themselves,  not  of 
their  actual  attainments.  By  experience  and 
observation  much  has  been  learned,  riot  by 
savages,  but  by  those  capable  of  learning. 
There  may  be  little  art,  and  yet  artistic  power ; 
industry  and  application  and  study,  and  yet 
little  information.  Of  the  arts  and  the  sciences 


THE    MIRACLES    OF    THE    EXODUS.       175 

men  had  at  first  but  the  rudiments,  hut  they  had 
the  capability  of  rapidly  acquiring  more. 

Of  religion  too  they  may  be  said  to  have  had 
but  the  rudiments,  but  these  rudiments  were 
true.  The  ancient  Egyptians  doubtless  believed 
in  one  God,  the  Creator,  in  man's  possession  of 
a  soul  which  is  immortal,  and  in  a  future  resur- 
rection.* The  doctrines  of  many  ancient  na- 
tions were  equally  pure.f  Indeed,  a  belief  in 
the  existence  of  one  Supreme  Being,  together 
with  some  notion  of  a  Trinity,  is  apparent  in  the 
mythological  systems  of  the  Hindoos,  Syrians, 
Chaldeans,  Chinese,  and  the  most  ancient  Greeks, 
and  may  be  faintly  traced  even  among  the  an- 
cient Peruvians.  For  abundant  proof  of  this, 
we  need  only  consult  the  writings  of  Sir  Wil- 
liam Jones,  Cory,  Faber,  Bryant,  Maurice,  and 
others  who  have  investigated  the  subject. 

The  custom  of  offering  sacrifices  was  also 
universal,  and  originally  was  based  on  the  be- 
lief that  an  atonement  for  sin  is  required. 

There  is,  however,  a  tendency  to  deteriora- 
tion in  morals  and  religion  evinced  by  all  men. 

0  Gliddon's  Ancient  Egypt,  Monuments,  Hieroglyphics,  &c., 
chap,  iii.  Illustration  N. 

f  Sixth  Discourse  of  Sir  William  Jones,  Asiat.  Res.,  vol.  ii, 
p.  68  ;  Cory's  Ancient  Fragments,  Faber's  Origin  of  Idolatry, 
Bryant's  Mythology,  and  Maurice's  Oriental  Trinities. 


176  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

If  we  might  be  allowed  to  anticipate  so  much, 
we  would  attribute  this  to  the  depravity  of 
human  nature ;  but  we  at  present  only  direct 
the  attention  to  the  historical  fact.  We  by  no 
means  suppose  that  when  Abraham  was  called,' 
or  centuries  later,  the  whole  world  had  grossly 
and  far  apostatized  .from  the  truth.  Abraham 
might  have  found  many  Melchisedeks  had  he 
journeyed  far  enough ;  and  the  original  light  has 
not  even  yet  become  wholly  darkness.* 

Now  God's  great  object,  so  far  as  we  can 
comprehend  it,  in  giving  the  revelation  to  man 
which  we  term  the  Bible,  was  to  counteract  this 
tendency  to  deterioration,  and  to  furnish  grad- 
ual and  additional  information  to  men,  in  order 
that  they  might  obey  him,  and  become  prepared 
for  everlasting  felicity. 

Man  is  so  constituted  that  he  will  worship ; 
hence  he  has  been  called  "  the  religious  ani- 
mal." It  has  been  true  of  all  ages  and  nations, 
ancient  and  modern,  and  is  a  well-established 
fact.  Indeed,  in  one  or  two  instances,  small 
tribes  have  been  found  in  which  this  tendency 
has  been  almost  smothered  or  undeveloped ;  but 
this  is  by  common  consent  regarded  as  the 
strongest  possible  evidence  of  degradation  ap- 

•  See  Description  of  the  Seeks,  Asiat  Res.,  voL  i,  p.  289. 


THE     MIRACLES     OF     THE     EXODUS.       17T 

proximating  even  to  brutality.  It  may  be  as- 
serted that  the  power  of  ratiocination  is  not 
more  essentially  human  than  is  a  disposition  to 
religious  worship. 

Now  the  worship  of  false  gods  is  a  positive 
evil,  an  actual  curse  to  the  worshipper.  This 
grows  out  of  the  fact,  that  however  pure  and 
holy  these  gods  may  have  been  imagined  to  be 
by  their  first  worshippers,  so  great  is  the  ten- 
dency to  deterioration  above  referred  to,  that 
invariably  idolatry  becomes  the  fruitful  parent 
of  actual  vice.  The  gods  by  degrees  become 
incarnations  of  partiality,  revenge,  malice,  and 
lust,  and  the  worshippers  gradually  partake  of 
their  character.  There  may  be  a  transient  re- 
bellion occasionally  against  this  influence,  and 
some  few  reactions ;  but  the  general  and  inevita- 
ble tendency  is  this  way.  Even  where  ac- 
knowledged demons  have  been  worshipped,  the 
worshippers  have  absorbed  the  spirit  of  the 
devils  to  whom  they  sacrificed,  and  become  the 
children  of  the  monsters  whom  they  hated.  The 
voice  of  heathenism  is  unanimous  on  this  point, 
and  it  is  entirely  superfluous  to  illustrate  it  at 
any  length.  What  was  the  character  of  the 
worshippers  of  Moloch,  Baal,  Bacchus,  and  Ye- 

nus  ?    Under  the  influence  of  the  worship  of 
12 


178  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

the  latter,  Corinth  became  a  city  of  prostitutes. 
Greece  and  Rome,  in  their  palmiest  days,  were 
hot-beds  of  violence  and  vice,  not  resisted,  but 
fostered  and  stimulated  by  their  religious  wor- 
ship. No  person  who  has  not  read  the  writings 
of  Petronius,  Martial,  and  other  eye-witnesses  of 
this  corruption,  can  imagine  it.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  that  the  picture  given  by  Paul  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  first  chapter  of  Romans  is  not  over- 
drawn. Seneca  said,  "  "Wickedness  so  stalks 
abroad  in  public,  and  so  prevails  in  every  breast, 
that  innocence  is  not  merely  rare,  it  does  not 
exist"*  Quintus  Curtius  says  of  Babylon,  that 
nothing  could  be  more  corrupt  than  its  morals. 
Money  dissolved  every  tie,  whether  of  kin- 
dred, respect,  or  esteem.  The  Babylonians  were 
greatly  given  to  wine,  and  the  enjoyments  which 
accompany  inebriety.  "Women  were  present  at 
their  convivialities,  first  with  some  degree  of 
propriety ;  but  growing  worse  and  worse  by  de- 
grees, ended  by  throwing  off  at  once  their  mod- 
esty and  their  clothing. f  Similar  is  the  effect 
of  heathen  worship  in  modern  times. 

Now  if  God  has  any  love  for  man  ;  if  virtue 
is  preferable  to  vice ;  if  man  would  be  benefi tted 

0  De  Ira,  1.  ii,  c.  8. 

t  DC  Rebus  Gestis  Alexandri,  liber  v,  cap.  1,  §  36,  &o. 


THE    MIRACLES    OF     THE     EXODUS.       179 

and  blest  by  sobriety  and  rectitude,  then  it  is 
evident  that  the  Almighty  would  grant  to  man 
some  restraining  influence  mightier  than  his 
own  reason  and  conscience.  This  has  been 
afforded  in  the  Bible.  And  from  the  above 
facts,  well  considered,  all  must  acknowledge  the 
necessity  of  a  Bible. 

Supposing  it  to  be  granted  that  a  revelation 
is  necessary,  we  assert  that  it  could  not  be  given 
in  any  way  but  by  miracles.  Men  may  reason 
metaphysically  about  miracles,  their  impossibil- 
ity, their  failure  to  convict,  and  any  other 
fancied  deficiency  about  them :  the  stanch 
common  sense  of  any  man  who  possesses  it 
teaches  him  at  once  that  a  miracle  will  con- 
vince a  witness  of  supernatural  power,  and  that 
nothing  else  will.  There  is  not  a  false  religion 
that  does  not  rest  upon  pretended  miracles ;  and 
that  is  the  only  true  religion  that  is  based  on 
real  miracles.  That  the  relation  of  miracles, 
then,  is  found  in  the  Bible  is  not  surprising,  but 
inevitable.  "Without  them  it  would  be  like  a 
fabric  without  foundation.  We  must  put  these 
relations  to  the  test,  and  if  they  endure  it,  well. 

In  the  first  part  of  the  Book  of  Exodus  we 
have  a  relation  of  a  wonderful  series  of  miracles, 
which  we  propose  now  briefly  to  examine. 


180  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

But  before  examining  them,  we  must  beg  the 
reader  to  bear  in  mind  the  object  of  the  Al- 
mighty in  bringing  the  children  of  Abraham 
into  Egypt, — that  a  compact  and  numerous  na- 
tion might  be  provided.  Now  they  were  to  es- 
cape from  Egypt.  Now  we  doubt  not  that  God 
might  have  caused  the  Egyptians  willingly,  and 
on  the  most  amicable  terms,  to  send  the  Israel- 
ites away ;  and  we  conceive  that  the  reason  why 
he  did  not  is  of  great  importance,  and  should 
not  be  overlooked. 

If  the  Israelites  had  departed  in  peace  and 
quiet,  they  would  not  have  been  so  strongly 
bound  together  as  a  people.  Their  common 
danger  and  common  rescue  cemented  their 
hearts  together  in  a  firm  national  feeling. 

Again,  if  they  had  gone  out  in  peace,  they 
would  not  have  been  so  well  prepared  for  the 
self-denial  and  hardships  before  them.  They 
would  have  longed  for  Egypt ;  they  would  have 
been  afflicted  with  a  universal  home-sickness, 
and  returned  to  the  land  and  the  practices  of 
these  idolaters.  This  consideration  affords  a 
key  to  the  mystery  of  God's  hardening  the  heart 
of  Pharaoh.  The  object  of  those  miracles  was 
not  to  benefit  the  Egyptians,  nor  have  we  any 
reason  to  believe,  wonderful  as  it  may  appear, 


THE    MIRACLES     OF     THE     EXODUS.       181 

that  they  were  benefitted.  They  were  designed 
to  instruct,  and  consolidate  into  a  nation,  fear- 
ing God,  the  Israelites.  One  miracle  would  not 
answer ;  a  series  was  necessary.  Therefore  God 
hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh,  and  probably 
also  the  hearts  of  the  whole  Egyptian  nation. 
Not  that  he  induced  them  to  sin,  but  he  did  not 
allow  them  at  first  to  become  convicted  by  the 
miracles  that  it  was  their  duty  to  allow  the 
Israelites  to  depart.  This  was  not  the  object  of 
the  miracles  at  first.  He  gave  the  Egyptians  a 
stubborn  resistance  to  conviction,  nor  did  he 
allow  them  to  become  convinced  till  the  mira- 
cles were  completed ;  and  then  it  was  through 
terror,  not  through  a  sense  of  duty,  that  they 
yielded.  ISTow  if  God  actually  hardened  the 
heart  of  Pharaoh,  (and  we  have  no  doubt  that 
he  did,)  it  was  a  part  of  the  miracle,  and  for  it 
Pharaoh  was  not  accountable,  nor  responsible, 
nor  guilty ;  and  his  punishment  at  last  was  not 
for  his  supernatural  hardness  of  heart,  but  for 
his  guilt  previous  to  or  independent  of  that 
hardness. 

To  my  mind,  the  hardness  of  heart  in  Pharaoh 
and  his  counsellors  appears  as  miraculous  as 
any  part  of  the  narration,  and  I  believe  it  to 
have  been  supernatural,  and  not  a  part  of  their 


182         THE  Youira  MAN  ADVISED. 

moral  character  for  which  they  were  respon- 
sible. To  infer  from  this  miraculous  account 
what  God's  general  plan  is  in  the  treatment  of 
responsible  beings,  is  positively  absurd.  The 
doctrine  of  Paul,  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  Ro- 
mans, is,  that  if  God  sees  fit  to  use  a  sinner  in 
this  world,  before  he  assigns  him  his  final  doom, 
to  show  forth  his  power,  he  has  a  right  to  do  it ; 
and  this  does  not  infringe  upon  men's  free 
agency,  nor  upon  abstract  justice :  it  is  only 
making  some  sinners,  before  the  final  judgment, 
subserve  the  same  purpose  as  all  such  will  after 
the  judgment. 

Now  the  miracles  of  Egypt  were  eminently 
calculated  to  prepare  the  Israelites  to  become 
God's  peculiar  people,  and  to  receive  the  reve- 
lation ultimately  designed  for  the  whole  world. 
This  object  was  effected,  first,  by  their  deliver- 
ance ;  and,  second,  by  weaning  their  affections 
from  the  idols  of  Egypt. 

Let  us  examine  this  last  point. 

The  magicians,  or  religious  teachers  of  Egypt, 
were  compelled  to  engage  in  a  contest  with 
Moses,  the  religious  teacher  of  Israel.  The  gods 
of  Egypt  and  the  God  of  Israel  are  in  conflict. 

From  this  we  see  also  why  the  magicians  were 
allowed  measurably  to  succeed ;  it  was  that  the 


THE    MIRACLES     OF    THE    EXODUS.      183 

contest  might  be  more  convincing,  and  this  was 
a  part  of  the  miracle.  Their  apparent  success 
rendered  their  discomfiture  the  more  apparent, 
and  was  of  such  a  peculiar  character  as  to  re- 
dound eminently  to  the  glory  of  God.  The 
attributing  of  their  partial  success  to  demons 
does  not  remove  any  difficulty,  for  demons  are 
as  much  under  the  control  of  God  as  men.  We 
believe  that  God  himself  created  the  serpents, 
and  the  blood,  and  the  frogs,  which  sprung  from 
the  magicians'  efforts,  as  well  as  those  which 
followed  the  commandment  of  Moses ;  and  that 
for  the  express  purpose  of  demonstrating  to  the 
Israelites — not  to  the  Egyptians — the  superiority 
of  the  God  of  Moses  to  the  gods  of  the  magi- 
cians. The  same  demonstration  was  witnessed 
by  the  Egyptians,  but  not  felt,  for  their  hearts 
were  hardened ;  and  this  was  a  part  of  the 
miracle. 

"Whether  the  magicians  succeeded  mediately 
through  the  influence  of  demons,  or  not,  is  a 
matter  of  no  consequence.  The  idea  of  Drs. 
Farmer,  Bush,  and  others,  that  the  magicians 
did  not  succeed  in  their  efforts,  springs  from  a 
"rationalistic"  interpretation  of  Scripture  lan- 
guage, which  we  believe  to  be  utterly  untenable, 
forced,  and  dangerous.  The  next  step  would  be 


184  TttE    YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

to  assert  that  Moses  did  not  succeed;  and  this 
might  with  as  much  propriety  be  maintained. 

1.  The  first  miracle  was  the  destruction  of  the 
magicians'  serpents  by  Moses's  serpent,  which 
demonstrated  to  the  Israelites  that  the.  serpents 
which  the  Egyptians  worshipped  were  not  able 
to  save  themselves  before  the  God  of  Moses, 
and  therefore  it  would  be  folly  to  worship  them 
instead  of  God.     Now  this  demonstration  could 
not  have  been  afforded  unless  the  magicians' 
rods  had  been  changed  into  serpents  at  the  will 
of  the  magicians  themselves.     The  magicians 
succeeded,  indeed,  but  it  was  only  to  be  put  to 
shame. 

2.  By  the  second  miracle,  the  water  of  the 
Nile  was  changed  into  blood,  at  the  instance  of 
Moses  calling  upon  God.     Now  the  Israelites 
knew  that  the  Egyptians  worshipped  that  river, 
and  esteemed  even  some  of  its  fishes  sacred: 
when,  therefore,  they  saw  its  pure  water  made 
filthy,  and  its  fishes  dying,  they  acknowledged 
the  superiority  of  Jehovah. 

But  the  magicians  also  were  allowed  to  change 
a  limited  quantity  of  water  into  blood.  This 
was  designed  to  keep  the  contest  for  a  time  in 
suspense,  and  to  give  occasion  for  further  and 
more  convincing  displays  of  power  before  the 


THE    MIRACLES    OF    THE    EXODUS.      185 

Israelites;  while,  at  the  same  time,  it  showed 
the  inferiority  of  the  gods  of  Egypt,  and  com- 
pelled the  magicians,  so  far  as  they  did  manifest 
any  power,  to  exert  it  against  themselves. 

3.  The  third  miracle  was  designed  to  deepen 
the  same  impression.      A  veneration  for  the 
Nile  was  the  strongest  feeling  of  an  Egyptian ; 
and  the  Israelites  were  permitted  to  see  how 
completely  the  Nile  was  under  the  power  of 
God.     Frogs,  therefore,  issued  from  its  waters, 
at  the  command  of  Moses,  and  became  an  in- 
tolerable  plague   to   their   worshippers.      The 
deluded  magicians  were  again  permitted,  on  a 
limited  scale,  to  add  to  their  own  discomfiture 
and  shame,  by  increasing,  to  a  small  degree, 
their  own  curse. 

By  this  time  the  Israelites  must  have  begun  to 
despise  the  magicians,  and  to  see  that  they  too 
were  directed  by  the  God  of  Israel,  or  if  they 
had  independent  power  they  would  not  have 
a/ped  Mloses,  but  stretched  forth  their  hands  and 
cleansed  the  Nile,  and  banished  the  frogs.  At 
the  instance  of  Moses,  not  the  magicians,  the 
frogs  retired,  and  Pharaoh  hardened  his  heart. 

4.  The  fourth  miracle  was  the  plague  of  lice, 
which  severely  and  triumphantly  established  the 
inferiority,  or  rather  the  absolute  nothingness,  of 


186  THE    YOTTNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

the  Egyptian  gods.  These  insects  were  consid- 
ered abominable  to  their  gods,  and  their  priests 
wore  linen  clothing,  and  shaved  their  heads  at 
least  every  third  day,  lest  such  a  profanation 
should  be  permitted  as  to  harbour  one  of  these 
vermin.  Now  every  Egyptian,  man  and  beast, 
sacred  and  common,  was  covered  with  them. 

The  foolish  magicians  stretched  forth  their 
rods,  hoping,  if  they  could  not  destroy  the  ver- 
min, at  least  to  add  a  few  more;  but  it  was 
enough :  the  contest  between  them  and  Moses 
had  been  sufficiently  prolonged, — nothing  could 
be  gained  even  by  compelling  them  to  add  to 
their  shame :  therefore  "  they  could  not."  God 
gave  them  no  more  power  ;  and  they  made  no 
exertion  afterward,  and  were  compelled,  per- 
haps mechanically,  to  add,  "  This  is  the  finger 
of  God!" 

5.  The  fifth  miracle  was  the  plague  of  flies.  By 
these  insects  the  Egyptians  were  usually  much 
troubled  in  the  summer,  and  the  departure  of 
the  swarms  was  attributed  to  the  influence  of 
their  fly-god  Beelzebub.     The  flies  then  miracu- 
lously returning,  in  winter,  at  the  command  of 
Moses,  destroyed  the  confidence  of  the  Israelites 
in  this  idol. 

6.  The  custom  of  worshipping  idols  in  the  form 


THE     MIRACLES     OF     THE    EXODUS.       187 

of  beasts,  and  of  actually  considering  some  beasts 
sacred,  is  one  of  the  most  astonishing  exhibitions 
of  superstition  ever  witnessed.  Such,  however, 
was  the  custom  of  the  Egyptians,  and  it  had  led 
to  the  most  revolting  vice  ever  practised  among 
men. 

The  sixth  miracle  inflicted  the  disease  of  mur- 
rain upon*  all  their  cattle,  including  their  sacred 
bull,  and  ram,  and  heifer,  and  goat,  and  others,  and 
must  have  demonstrated  the  power  of  Jehovah. 

It  is  exceedingly  astonishing  that  after  this  the 
Israelites  themselves,  when  Moses  was  absent, 
should  have  made  "  two  golden  calves,"  and  ex- 
claimed, "  These  be  thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which 
brought  thee  up  out  of  Egypt."  But  if  such 
actually  was  their  crime,  what  would  have  been 
their  attachment  to  Egyptian  folly  but  for  this 
wonderful  series  of  miracles !  There  are  no  preju- 
dices more  tenacious  in  their  hold  upon  the  heart 
than  the  follies  of  superstition.  For  a  proof  of 
this  we  need  only  refer  to  some  remnants  of  pa- 
gan observances  still  existing  among  even  well- 
informed  persons  in  the  heart  of  the  most  en- 
lightened Christian  communities. 

7.  The  seventh  miracle  is  supposed  to  have 
been  aimed  at  a  superstitious  ceremony  of  the 
Egyptians,  which  never  could  have  been  resorted 


188  THE     YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

to  without  demoniac  feelings  and  intense  excite- 
ment. They  sometimes,  to  propitiate  Typhon, 
or  the  devil,  murdered  human  beings  as  sacri- 
fices, and  believed  that  the  ashes  of  these  burned 
victims,  sprinkled  in  the  air,  would  please  the 
demon,  and  remove  pestilence  or  any  other  curse. 
Moses,  therefore,  grasped  some  ashes,  perhaps 
from  the  very  altar  upon  which  human  sacrifices 
had  bled,  and  scattered  it  abroad ;  when  lo  !  in- 
stead of  purity,  the  God  of  heaven  inflicted  upon 
man  and  beast  boils  and  blains,  from  which 
neither  king  nor  priest  could  escape. 

8.  The   eighth   miracle  was   hail  falling  in 
an  unusual  season  of  the  year,  and  with  such 
force  as  to  demonstrate  that  the  gods,  which  the 
Egyptians  believed    had  control  over  the  ele- 
ments, had  no  power  and  no  existence. 

9.  Still  another  idol  remained  to  be  vanquished 
among  those  who  had  "  gods  many  and  lords 
many," — namely,  Serapis,  the  controller  of  the 
locusts.     To  demonstrate  his  nothingness,  Moses 
stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  locusts  came  and 
covered  and  devoured  every  green  thing.    This 
would  seem  to  have  been  enough ;  but  the  Lord 
hardened  Pharaoh's  heart,  which,  we  repeat, 
was  an  essential  and  very  remarkable  element 
of  the  miracle. 


THE    MIRACLES    OF    THE     EXODUS.       189 

The  Israelites  were  doubtless  satisfied,  and  had 
they  been  called  upon  would  have  exclaimed,  with 
one  voice,  "  The  Lord  he  is  God,  the  Lord  he  is 
God !"  but  one  demonstration  of  the  omnipotence 
of  Jehovah,  the  most  convincing  imaginable,  was 
yet  to  be  afforded.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
Egyptians  worshipped  the  sun  and  moon  as  dei- 
ties :  what  must  have  been  their  terror,  and  how 
evident  their  folly  to  the  Israelites,  when  the 
sun  and  moon  and  stars  were  all  at  once  con- 
cealed, and  a  darkness  that  might"  be  felt  covered 
the  land  for  three  days  and  nights  !  This  was 
enough ;  their  idols  were  degraded  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Israelites,  and  now  the  time  of  their  deliver- 
ance was  near. 

But  it  was  not  fitting  that  they  who  had  been 
scourged  without  cause,  and  their  helpless  in- 
fants slain,  should  depart  without  witnessing  the 
retribution  of  Jehovah.  From  even  that  a  les- 
son was  to  be  learned,  and  a  lesson  of  such  im- 
portance that  it  should  be  called  to  remem- 
brance by  a  strange  ceremony,  to  be  observed 
annually  forever.  The  angel  of  the  Lord  "  passed 
over"  the  houses  of  the  Israelites,  duly  desig- 
nated, and  slew  in  one  night  the  first-born  of 
man  and  beast  in  Egypt.  Not  till  then  was  a 
sincere  consent  to  depart  given  to  Moses  and  his 


190  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

people;  and  this  consent  sprung  from  terror, 
and  not  from  a  conviction  of  the  power  of  Jeho- 
vah,* and  the  Israelites  were  hurriedly  thrust 
away,  laden  with  treasure,  which  the  Egyptians 
voluntarily  bestowed  upon  them.  For  though  it 
is  said  that  the  Israelites  "lorrowed"  these 
treasures,  we  cannot  suppose  that  they  did  not 
by  this  time  understand  that  the  Israelites  con- 
templated no  return  to  Egypt,  and  they  gave 
them  this  treasure. 

Thus  were  the  Israelites  severed  from  among 

0  This  is  a  key  to  the  whole  subject,  and  must  not  be  over- 
looked. When  Naaman,  the  Syrian,  was  cured  of  his  leprosy, 
he  believed  in  God;  the  Philistines,  seeing  the  miracles  at- 
tending their-  possession  of  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  believed  in 
God;  but  Pharaoh,  immediately  after  Moses  departed,  pur- 
sued him.  It  is  evident,  both  from  the  Bible  and  from  the  an- 
cient history  of  Egypt,  that  the  Egyptians  were  not  con- 
vinced of  their  own  folly.  They  continued  to  worship  ser- 
pents, and  the  Nile,  and  Serapis,  and  beasts,  and  the  sun  and 
moon.  Now  this  cannot  be  accounted  for  on  the  common 
principles  of  mental  philosophy.  It  is  not  in  the  power  of 
man  to  resist  such  evidence.  The  mind — not  necessarily  the 
heart — must  be  influenced  by  such  demonstration.  But  God 
hardened  Pharaoh's  heart,  and  the  hearts  of  his  people.  They 
were  left  precisely  as  if  there  had  been  no  miracle.  The  miracles 
were  not  designed  for  them,  and  their  guilt  or  innocence  was 
not  affected  merely  by  them.  This  is  the  solution  of  the  six- 
teenth verse  of  the  ninth  chapter  of  Exodus,  so  appropriately 
quoted  by  Paul  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  Romans. 

When  commentators  remark  upon  the  convincing  effect  of 
these  miracles  upon  the  Egyptians,  they  entirely  mistake  the 
plan  of  Jehovah,  and  the  object  of  these  signal  displays. 


THE    MIKAOLE8     OF    THE     EXODUS.       191 

the  nations  of  the  -earth.  As  far  as  possible, 
without  absolutely  destroying  free  agency,  which 
God  will  not  do,  their  minds  were  divested  of  all 
idolatrous  influence.  Though  educated  in  the 
very  nursery  of  superstition,  they  had  learned  to 
despise  all  idols,  and  to  fear  only  God.  These 
miracles,  then,  appear  no  longer  wonderful  • 
they  are  consistent  and  intelligible,  and  we  adore 
the  wisdom  of  God  as  manifested  in  their  exhi- 
bition. Quite  natural  was  it  therefore  for  Jethro 
— the  father-in-law  of  Moses — to  exclaim,  "  Now 
I  know  that  the  Lord  is  greater  than  all  gods ; 
for  in  the  thing  wherein  they  dealt  proudly,  he 
was  above  them."  Exodus  xviii,  11.  This  was 
but  an  echo  of  the  belief  of  every  child  of  Abra- 
ham, though  the  Egyptians  still  remained  robed 
in  spiritual  darkness. 

The  pursuit  of  the  Israelites  by  Pharaoh,  and 
the  miraculous  dividing  and  returning  of  the 
Ked  Sea,  are  in  such  perfect  keeping  with  the 
previous  history  as  to  need  no  particular  notice. 

It  would  comport  with  our  design  now  to 
show  any  historical  confirmation  of  these  mira- 
cles which  may  be  extant.  The  history  of  an- 
cient Egypt,  though  it  has  occupied  the  attention 
of  many  learned  men,  is  involved  in  obscurity 
and  very  scanty.  The  only  Egyptian  account 


192  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

of  the  origin  of  the  Israelites  is  evidently  dis- 
torted and  partial,  as  might  be  expected.*  Sev- 
eral writers,  who  lived  many  centuries  after  these 
events,  relate  or  refer  to  them ;  but  the  source  of 
their  information  is  unknown. 

A  singular,  custom  is  mentioned  by  Epiphani- 
us,  as  prevailing  among  the  Egyptians,  of  mark- 
ing their  trees,  houses,  and  lands,  and  sheep,  with 
red,  the  day  of  the  year  before  the  Jewish  pass- 
over  ;  which  must  have  proceeded  from  a  fear 
lest  the  same  plague  should  cpme  upon  them  as 
was  inflicted  upon  their  forefathers,  f 

Diodorus  Siculus,  who  wrote  a  few  years  be- 
fore Christ,  relates  a  tradition  prevailing  among 
the  inhabitants  residing  on  the  shore  of  the  Red 
Sea,  to  the  effect  that  many  years  ago  the  waters 
of  the  sea  were  divided  so  that  the  bottom  ap- 
peared, and  afterward  returned.^: 

But  the  principal  historical  confirmation  is 
found  in  the  history  of  the  Israelites,  who  could 
never  have  been  made  to  believe  the  account, 
had  it  not  been  true;  and  especially  in  the  re- 
markable ceremony  of  the  passover,  which  is  a 
perpetual  monument  or  record  of  these  facts, 
and  which  could  have  had  no  other  origin. 

0  Josephus  contra  Appion,  lib.  i,  ch.  26,  27. 

fAllix's  Reflections,  part  ii,  ch.  3.     J  Diod.  Sic.,  lib.  iii,  p.  122. 


THE     LAWS     OF     MOSES.  193 


CHAPTER  XI. 

BEAUTY  AND   SCOPE    OF   THE   LAWS    OF  MOSES. 

WE  have  already  noticed  the  general  tendency 
to  idolatry  and  wickedness  in  all  the  human 
race ;  and  the  plan  of  God  to  resist  this,  by  se- 
lecting one  nation  to  receive  a  special  revelation, 
which,  at  a  subsequent  period,  was  to  be  enlarg- 
ed and  published  to  all  mankind.  We  have 
shown  how  and  why  this  nation  was  selected ; 
and  how,  by  stupendous  miracles,  it  was  deliv- 
ered from  Egyptian  bondage. 

We  purpose  now  to  proceed  with  their  his- 
tory, and  exhibit  the  reasonableness  and  object 
of  God's  dealings  with  them. 

We  must,  however,  be  careful  to  keep  in  mind 
the  peculiar  character  of  this  people.  They  con- 
stitute a  theocracy.  Though  they  have  their 
human  leader,  and  elders,  and  magistrates,  they 
are  directly,  through  them,  amenable  to  God, 
and  by  him  governed.  Their  mission  is  not  con- 
quest, nor  national  prosperity;  but  to  receive 
and  exhibit  religion.  They  are  a  nation  of 
13 


194  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

pupils,  to  be  taught  of  God,  and  from  them  are 
to  come  teachers  to  enlighten  the  rest  of  the 
world,  through  all  successive  ages. 

Behold  them,  then,  in  that  wilderness  between 
Egypt  and  Canaan,  collected  together  near  the 
base  of  Mount  Sinai.  They  have  already  been 
taught  the  power  of  Jehovah,  and  the  worth- 
lessness  of  idols;  but  much  more  remains  for 
them  to  learn.  They  must  now  be  made  to 
perceive  the  holiness  of  God,  so  that  they  may 
have  a  reverence  for  him;  the  justice  of  God, 
so  that  they  may  fear  to  do  evil ;  the  mercy  of 
God,  so  that  they  may  not  despair.  They  must 
also  be  moulded  into  a  nation,  and  receive  a 
body  of  laws,  and  a  system  of  jurisprudence; 
and,  finally,  there  must  be  established  among 
them  some  institutions  that  shall  operate  as  a 
perpetual  bulwark  against  the  torrent  of  idola- 
trous influence  that  shall  set  in  upon  them  from 
all  surrounding  nations.  The  work,  then,  before 
God  at  this  juncture  is,  first,  to  reveal  his  own 
character  more  fully;  secondly,  to  give  his 
people  a  system  of  government ;  and,  thirdly, 
so  to  blend  their  government  and  religion  to- 
gether that  they  shall  mutually  strengthen  and 
sustain  each  other. 

How  does  God  accomplish  these  distinct  ob- 


THE    LAWS    OF    MOSES.  195 

jects  in  one  plan?  Not  by  employing  Moses  as 
a  preacher,  to  explain  his  character  and  will. 
Moses  was  doubtless  an  eloquent  man,  but  his 
eloquence  was  not  equal  to  such  a  task.  Lan- 
guage could  not  with  sufficient  vividness  convey 
these  truths.  A  system  of  representative  action 
must  be  resorted  to  for  this  purpose.  Symbolic 
action,  or  ceremony,  will  impress  thoughts  far 
more  distinctly  upon  the  mind  than  language, 
especially  to  those  whose  minds  have  not  been 
highly  cultivated  and  developed.  "We  teach 
children  by  pictures:  we  are  ourselves  more 
impressed  by  witnessing  an  action  than  by 
hearing  it  described.  A  ceremony  takes  a 
deeper  hold  upon  the  heart  than  a  sentence. 
There  is  a  difficulty  almost  insuperable  about 
awakening  in  the  mind  of  any  one,  for  the  first 
time,  an  idea  of  holiness.  Missionaries  complain 
that  they  cannot  find  in  heathen  languages  a 
word  expressive  of  this  thought;  and  they  are 
obliged  to  use  our  word,  or  invent  a  new  one: 
and  it  seems  at  first  absolutely  impossible  to  in- 
troduce this  thought  into  a  heathen  mind. 

Now  God's  method  of  awakening  this  thought 
in  the  minds  of  his  people  was  to  issue  a  com- 
mand to  them  to  wash  their  clothes :  "  And  the 
Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Go  unto  the  people,  and 


196  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

sanctify  them  to-day  and  to-morrow;  and  let 
them  wash  their  clothes"  Now  this  washing  of 
the  clothes  was  designed  to  communicate  to 
them  the  thought,  that  God  demands  clea/nliness^ 
not  merely  of  the  body,  but  of  the  soul ;  and  the 
easy  and  natural  transference  of  this  idea  from 
the  body  to  the  soul  awakens  the  thought  of 
personal  holiness,  and  of  the  holiness  of  God, 
who  makes  the  demand.  Now  this  one  point 
explains  many  other  requirements  of  God,  which, 
to  ignorant  and  flippant  opposers  of  the  Bible, 
appear  strange  and  undignified. 

A  great  part  of  the  Mosaic  law  was  intended 
to  keep  alive  in  the  minds  of  the  Israelites  and 
their  children  the  necessity  of  cleanliness,  or 
holiness,  if  they  would  worship  God  acceptably. 
The  only  proper  way  to  examine  any  part  of  the 
Bible  is  to  inquire  what  God  designs  to  teach  by 
this  passage;  and  though  the  instrument  may 
be  trivial  or  mean,  the  thought  will  always  be 
found  grand,  and  worthy  of  "its  Author.  The 
frequent  washings  required  by  the  Jewish  law, 
all  had  this  design, — to  teach  that  God  hates 
spiritual  defilement,  aptly  symbolized  by  bodily 
defilement.  This  thought  is  the  foundation  of 
the  Christian  ceremony  of  baptism,  which  only 
symbolizes  the  washing  of  the  soul  by  the  sane- 


THE    LAWS    OF    MOSES.  197 

tifying  Spirit  of  God.  The  very  word  in  the 
Hebrew  language,  which  signifies  to  ~be  holy, 
originally  meant  to  ~be  deem;  and  it  was  by 
symbolic  action  that  the  Hebrews  first  acquired 
this  central  idea  of  religion.* 

The  holiness  of  God,  and  the  holiness  which 
he  demands  in  men,  is  still  further  illustrated 
in  the  Jewish  law  by  the  distinction  established 
between  clean  and  unclean  beasts.  We  do  not 
deny  that  there  may  be  some  foundation  for  this 
distinction  in  the  nature  of  these  beasts,  in  their 
suitableness  for  food,  physiologically,  in  the  cli- 
mate of  Palestine;  and  we  do  not  deny  that 
some  reference  may  have  been  made  in  this 
distinction  to  the  customs  of  some  heathen  na- 
tions, which  idolatrous  customs  were  effectively 
excluded  from  Palestine  by  this  distinction; 
still  we  believe  that  the  distinction  was  princi- 
pally arbitrary,  and  designed  to  teach  that  God 
is  holy,  and  therefore  will  not  be  pleased  with 
every  animal  as  a  sacrifice,  but  only  with  the 
clean;  and  also  that  the  Israelites  should  be 
holy,  and  not  partake  of  all  food  indiscrimi- 
nately, but  only  the  clean. 


0  B}J2}  1.  Tobejjwre;  2.  To  be  spiritually  clean  ;  translated 
into  Greek  by  ayiof,  freed  from  earth,  or  unearthly,  sacred,  in 
a  word,  holy. 


198  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

Let  it  be  understood,  then,  that  by  this  and 
by  all  similar  provisions,  by  compelling  the 
priests  to  wash,  the  people  to  wash,  the  camp 
to  be  cleansed,  and  purity  generally  to  be  sought, 
and  especially  in  religious  worship,  an  idea  of 
God's  holiness  was  powerfully  impressed  upon 
the  mind :  and  how  large  a  portion  of  the  Jew- 
ish law  is  thus  elucidated ! 

We  do  not  suppose  that  it  was  by  symbol 
alone  that  God  taught  the  Israelites, — far  from 
it ;  symbol  was  but  the  commencement,  and  a 
very  subordinate  part,  of  his  revelation.  After 
a  glimmering  idea  of  his  holiness  and  power  had 
been  awakened  by  their  ceremonies,  and  by  his 
miracles,  he  published  to  them  the  ten  com- 
mandments;  and  this  decalogue  bears  the  im- 
press of  divinity, — it  carries  evidence  of  its 
origin  with  it.  How  could  Moses  have  origi- 
nated that  comprehensive  moral  law,  the  truth 
and  perfectness  of  which  all  succeeding  ages, 
down  to  the  present,  have  acknowledged  ?  We 
challenge  uninspired  literature  to  furnish  its 
equal.  We  maintain  that  in  that  age  of  the 
world,  according  to  the  laws  that  govern  mind, 
it  would  be  preposterous  to  suppose  that  a  mere 
man,  like  Moses,  could  have  devised  the  ten 
commandments.  Moses  was,  indeed,  "learned 


THE    LAWS    OF    MOSES.  199 

in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians ;"  but  whence 
did  he  learn  the  character  of  the  one  supreme 
God?  Not,  certainly,  from  that  people  who 
worshipped  even  the  cattle  and  the  vegetables ! 
Whence  did  he  learn  the  impropriety  of  making 
images  of  God  for  worship?  Not,  certainly, 
from  that  people  who  might  be  distinctively 
styled  the  picture-making  nation ;  who  not  only 
gave  their  gods  a  shape,  for  purposes  of  worship, 
but  represented  them  in  their  writings  by  hiero- 
glyphics. From  no  human  source  could  Moses 
have  acquired  the  thoughts  embodied  in  the 
Decalogue ;  and  that  he  originated  them  no 
man  of.  reason  could  believe.  History  informs 
us  that  they  were  communicated  to  him  by  Je- 
hovah, and  this  only  accords  to  them  their 
worthy  origin. 

To  awaken  an  idea  of  his  justice  in  the  minds 
of  the  Israelites,  God  enacted,  through  Moses, 
strict  laws  against  sin  of  every  description  ;  and 
affixed  to  the  violation  of  these  laws  severe 
punishment.  The  severity  of  the  punishment 
of  some  peculiar  crimes,  under  the  Mosaic 
law,  such  as  blasphemy,  breaking  the  Sabbath, 
disobedience  to  parents,  and  some  others,  was 
designed  to  show  God's  own  authority,  his  ab- 
horrence of  impiety,  and  his  inexorable  demand 


200  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

of  righteousness  in  his  children.  Yiewed  in  this 
light,  they  are  not  harsh,  nor  do  they  betray,  in 
any  degree,  vindictiveness  nor  tyranny.  Had 
they  been  more  lenient  they  would  not  have 
accomplished  their  purpose,  which  was  a  good 
one,  and  indispensable  in  the  great  design. 

The  whole  system  of  sacrifices  was  designed 
to  show  that  sin  against  God  demands  an  expia- 
tion, and  that  only  under  certain  conditions  can 
it  be  forgiven.  We  accordingly  find  in  the 
history  of  the  Israelites,  that  no  sooner  had  they 
escaped  from  Egypt,  and  received  the  moral 
law,  and  certain  other  enactments  that  were 
necessary  to  insure  order  among  them  as  a 
people,  than  Moses  was  commanded  to  make 
suitable  preparations  for  the  offering  up  of 
sacrifices.  These  preparations  were  costly  and 
extensive,  and  the  directions  given  seem  to  be 
almost  tediously  minute ;  but  the  careful  reader 
will  perceive  that  all  the  directions  harmonize 
with  the  one  purpose  of  awakening  a  reverence 
for  God.  These  sacrifices  were  to  be  offered  by 
the  whole  nation,  through  their  priests,  by  fami- 
lies, and  by  individuals.  They  were  to  be  offered 
for  general  sinfulness,  for  special  transgressions, 
and  for  the  omission  of  duty.  The  blood  of  the 
animal  was  to  be  shed  ;  and  they  were  taught  to 


THE    LAWS     OF    MOSES.  201 

believe  that  having  thus  testified  their  own  ab- 
horrence of  sin,  this  sin  was  expiated,  and  God 
did  forgive.  Now,  when  the  Israelite  brought 
the  animal  to  the  appointed  place,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  place  his  hands  upon  it,  and  confess,  in 
these  or  similar  words,  "  O  God,  I  have  sinned ; 
I  have  done  perversely ;  I  have  trespassed  before 
thee :  lo !  now  I  repent,  I  am  truly  sorry ;  let, 
then  this  victim  be  my  expiation :"  and  when 
he  saw  that  animal  slain,  and  its  smoke  ascend- 
ing from  the  burning  pile,  must  he  not  have 
been  impressed  with  the  evil  of  sin,  and  the 
necessity  of  an  expiation?  This  ceremony  was 
designed  to  awaken  thought,  and  that  thought 
it  did  awaken.  It  was  designed  to  show  both 
the  justice  and  mercy  of  God. 

It  does  not  comport  with  our  plan,  at  present, 
further  to  examine  this  subject,  and  we  will 
therefore  only  remark  that  all  that  minuteness 
of  legislation  concerning  sacrifices,  found  in  the 
Old  Testament,  only  shows  how  careful  the 
Almighty  was,  thus  by  representative  action,  to 
instil  into  the  minds  of  men  some  of  the  most 
refined  and  exalted  conceptions  of  which  our 
souls  are  capable:  and  as  these  were  require- 
ments binding  upon  all  the  people,  and  for 
future  times,  provision  was  thus  made  that 


202  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

the  Israelites  should  always  have  just  concep- 
tions of  God. 

There  is  indeed  a  higher  and  more  convincing 
evidence  of  the  wisdom  and  divinity  of  all  these 
requirements,  in  the  fact  that  they  are  together 
a  grand  system  of  types,  prophetic  of,  and  ful- 
filled in,  the  life  and  death  of  our  adorable 
Saviour.  But  for  a  portrayal  of  this  interesting 
subject  we  must  refer  to  treatises  specially  de- 
voted to  that  department. 

We  have  now  seen  how  God  awakened  in  the 
Israelites  some  great  religious  thoughts :  his  ob- 
ject  was  also  to  give  them  a  government  as  a 
nation.  Upon  the  peculiar  national  laws  of  the 
Israelites  we  would  simply  remark,  that  so  far  as 
they  relate  merely  to  morality,  and  national 
safety,  and  public  good,  they  are  wise,  healthful, 
and  complete.  No  heathen  lawgiver  has  con- 
densed so  much  into  so  small  a  compass ;  and 
these  laws  were  not  mere  copies  of  or  variations 
from  a  previous  code.  They  could  not  have 
been  written  by  Moses  unaided.  "We  would 
also  observe  that  these  laws  are  known  to  have 
been,  in  many  respects,  directly  opposite  to  the 
customs  of  the  Egyptians,  from  whom  the  Israel- 
ites had  lately  been  separated ;  and  opposed  to 
the  customs  of  the  tribes  whom  the  Israelites 


THE     LAWS     OF    MOSES.  203 

were  to  dispossess.  And  this  leads  us  to  ex- 
amine the  last  object  which  God  had  in  tHe 
Hebrew  theocracy,  namely :  the  Israelites  were 
to  be  so  governed  as  to  be  effectually  preserved 
from  the  idolatry  of  surrounding  nations.  This 
was  of  paramount  importance.  If  this  end  were 
not  gained,  the  object  of  the  Almighty  would 
fail.  Now,  to  accomplish  this  would  have  been 
beyond  the  power  of  a  human  legislator.  It  was 
to  make  the  Israelites  an  exception  to  the  whole 
world.  It  was  to  eradicate  and  repel  supersti- 
tion. It  was  to  expose  them  to  the  hatred  of 
others.  It  was  to  deprive  them  of  unholy,  but, 
in  other  nations,  common  indulgences.  In  fine, 
it  was  to  make  the  Israelites,  while  they  proved 
faithful,  a  perpetual  miracle.  This  was  the  ob- 
ject of  God,  and  it  was  accomplished.  The 
Israelites  did  indeed  become  idolaters,  but  not 
universally.  There  were  always  prophets  and 
priests,  and  a  remnant  who  bowed  not  their 
knees  to  Baal,  nor  any  other  idol.  God's  plan 
was  carried  out  by  those  few  as  effectively  as  it 
could  have  been  by  a  nation.  The  knowledge 
of  the  true  God  was  kept  in  the  world,  and  the 
successive  events  of  his  revelation  followed  in 
due  order. 
This  design  of  God  elucidates  many  of  the 


204  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Mosaic  laws  which  otherwise  might  appear 
strange,  if  not  frivolous.  Thus,  in  the  twenty- 
third  chapter  of  Exodus,  it  is  enacted,  "Thou 
shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  its  mother's  milk." 
This  may  be  designed  to  teach  the  beauty  of 
mercy,  in  opposition  to  cruelty ;  but  when  we 
learn  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the  surrounding 
heathen  to  boil  a  kid  in  the  milk  of  the  dam, 
and  then  with  magical  incantation  to  go  around 
the  garden  or  farm,  and  sprinkle  the  trees  or 
plants,  to  make  them  more  fruitful,  we  can  but 
imagine  that  this  law  was  aimed  against  that 
foolish  superstition. 

There  is  also  a  law,  in  the  nineteenth  chapter 
of  Leviticus,  as  follows :  "  Ye  shall  not  round 
the  corners  of  your  heads;  neither  shalt  thou 
mar  the  corners  of  thy  beard."  This  also  is 
aimed  against  a  superstitious  observance  of  some 
idolaters,  one  of  the  peculiar  marks  of  whom, 
according  to  Herodotus,  was  this  custom,  for- 
bidden by  this  special  law. 

Another  instance  of  a  special  enactment,  in 
this  case  indirectly  designed  to  prevent  idolatry, 
is  found  in  the  law  requiring  a  person  who  bound^ 
himself  to  be  a  slave  for  life,  to  have  his  ears 
bored  through  with  an  awl.  Now,  all  the 
idolaters  around  the  Jews  were  accustomed  to 


THE    LAWS    OF    MOSES.  205 

wear  in  their  ears  amulets,  or  charmed  rings,  as 
they  considered  them,  by  which,  consecrated  to 
their  gods,  they  expected  to  be  preserved  from 
evil.  How  effectively  did  Moses  aim  a  death- 
blow at  this  folly,  by  making  the  ear  bored  a 
mark  of  a  slave  !* 

We  might  specify  other  instances ;  but  these 
must  suffice.  A  complete  examination  of  the 
Mosaic  law  would  require  a  volume, — its  great 
plan  we  wish  only  to  present.  The  more  it  is 
studied,  the  more  evident  will  its  wisdom  ap- 
pear. All  its  minute  requirements  harmonize 
with  and  are  necessary  to  its  great  purpose, 
and  are  worthy  of  the  source  whence  they 
sprung, — the  wisdom  and  mercy  of  Jehovah, 
our  God,  and  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob. 

Those  laws  still  exist.  The  enactments  which 
expressed  the  abstract  duty  of  man  to  God,  and 
of  man  to  man,  are  still  in  force.  The  ceremo- 
nial law  has  been  fulfilled  in  Christ,  and  is  no 
longer  obligatory.  It  was  a  schoolmaster,  to 
bring  us  to  Christ ;  but  now  we  have  the  great 
Teacher.  The  civil  law  has  passed  away  with 
the  nation,  and  will  never  be  revived ;  but  the 

0  See  Witsins's  Economy  of  the  Covenants.  London :  T.  Tegg 
and  Son.  1837.  Vol.  ii,  p.  381. 


206  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

moral  law  was  observed  before  it  was  here  en- 
acted ;  it  is  a  transcript  of  God's  will,  and  must 
be  binding  as  long  as  the  earth  shall  stand,  or 
even  man  exist. 

Our  argument  upon  the  Mosaic  law  may  be 
summed  up  briefly  as  follows  : — 

1.  Its   civil  requirements   are  just,  compre- 
hensive, and  admirable,  such  as  no  mere  man 
like  Moses  could  have  devised  at  once,  and,  if 
of  human  origin,  would  have  required  years  for 
their  composition,  like  other  human  laws,  en- 
acted successively,  as  circumstances  should  have 
required  them.     But,  given  in  the  infancy  of  a 
nation,  by  a  man  occupied  with  the  care  of 
government,  they  demand  our  belief  in  his  super- 
natural direction. 

2.  The  ceremonial  law  of  Moses,  in  all  its 
minute   requirements,  exhibits   to   us  one  pre- 
vailing purpose,  namely,  to  communicate  just 
and  exalted  conceptions  of  God;   and  also  to 
repel  and  render  ridiculous  all  heathen  super- 
stitions and  worship. 

3.  The  Mosaic  law,  as  a  whole,  is  an  admira- 
ble composition ;  in  every  respect  perfect,  and 
worthy  of  its  avowed  author,  the  God  of  Israel 
and  the  Creator  of  the  world.     We  have  pro- 
nounced it  perfect,  because  it  was   perfectly 


THE    LAWS    OF    MOSES.  207 

adapted  to  its  holy  object;  and  yet  we  believe 
that  as  the  human  race  has  advanced,  the 
former  dispensation  has  been  superseded  by  a 
broader  and  higher  manifestation  of  God's  will, 
in  the  Christian  dispensation. 


208  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 


CHAPTEK  XH. 

THE  GREAT  COMMISSION  AND  HISTORY  OF  THE 
ISRAELITES. 

WE  have  examined,  to  some  extent,  the  laws  of 
Moses,  and  also  his  prophecies ;  we  propose  now 
to  consider  his  great  commission,  and,  more  par- 
ticularly, the  narrative  of  the  early  history  of 
the  Israelites. 

It  is  certain  that  the  Israelites  were  com- 
manded by  Jehovah  to  exterminate,  by  fire  and 
sword,  the  Canaanites.  They  were  commanded 
to  wage  against  them  an  offensive  and  a  destruc- 
tive war.  They  were  not  to  spare,  but  utterly 
to  remove  the  population  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  Such  was  the  exact  tenor  of  their  com- 
mission; yet  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  it 
was  known  to  Jehovah  from  the  beginning  that 
these  commands,  in  all  their  rigorousness,  would 
not  be  speedily  and  fully  executed.  A  portion 
only  of  the  Canaanites  were  destroyed ;  and  this, 
we  may  infer,  was  the  original  design  of  Je- 
hovah. 


COMMISSION     OF    THE    ISRAELITES.      209 

Many  have  supposed  that  a  command  to  wage 
an  exterminating  war  is  inconsistent  with  the 
mercy  of  God,  and  cannot  therefore  be  credited. 
Obviously  it  is  our  duty  to  examine  this  subject 
carefully,  and  not  to  allow  a  first  and  perhaps 
erroneous  impression  to  mislead  us. 

God  has  a  right  to  remove  from  this  world  an 
individual  or  a  nation  whenever,  in  his  wisdom, 
he  deems  it  right.  So  far,  then,  as  the  death  of 
the  Canaanites  is  concerned,  it  may  be  that  God 
saw  that  to  be  absolutely  necessary  for  the  good 
of  the  world.  God  destroyed  the  antediluvians 
justly,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah. 

It  is  evident  that  the  Canaanites  were  grossly 
depraved.  It  is  probable  that  not  even  Sodom 
was  worse.  We  have  no  profane  evidence  on 
this  point ;  but  the  intimations  in  the  Bible  are 
sufficient.  In  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  Leviti- 
cus, the  sacred  writer,  after  mentioning  some  of 
the  grossest  crimes  conceivable,  adds,  "Defile 
not  ye  yourselves  in  any  of  these  things :  for  in 
all  these  the  nations  are  defiled  which  I  cast  out 
before  you :  and  the  land  is  defiled :  therefore  I 
do  visit  the  iniquity  thereof  upon  it,  and  the 
lend  itself  vomiteth  out  her  inhabitants." 

Again,  in  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Deuteronomy, 
14 


210  THE   YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

the  Israelites  are  solemnly  warned  not  to  follow 
the  corrupt  and  general  practices  of  those  na- 
tions :  "  Take  heed  to  thyself  that  thou  be  not 
snared  by  following  them.  Thou  shalt  not  do 
so  unto  the  Lord  thy  God :  for  every  abomina- 
tion to  the  Lord  which  he  hateth  have  they  done 
unto  their  gods ;  for  even  their  sons  and  their 
daughters  have  they  burnt  in  the  fire  to  their 
gods." 

Now,  considering  that  this  country  was  the 
most  fit  one  for  the  chosen  nation  to  occupy, — 
that  the  present  inhabitants  were  a  curse,  rather 
than  a  blessing,  to  the  world, — is  it  in  any  way 
strange  that,  by  fire,  or  by  pestilence,  or  by 
some  other  judgment,  God  should  destroy  them, 
to  make  room  for  his  people?  He  had  previ- 
ously told  Abraham,  that  four  hundred  years 
from  his  time  must  elapse  before  the  Canaanites 
would  be  removed.*  And  why?  "Because 
•their  iniquity  is  not  yet  full."  Having  finally 
filled  up  their  cup  of  iniquity,  the  Lord  deter- 
mined to  destroy  them. 

But  perhaps  the  strongest  objection,  in  the 

minds  of  many,  is  to  the  means  employed  for 

the  destruction  of  this  wicked  and  doomed  race. 

That  the  Israelites — a  chosen  people  of  God — 

0  Genesis  xv,  13-16. 


COMMISSION    OF    THE    ISRAELITES.     211 

should  be  commanded,  personally,  with  the 
sword  to  slay  not  only  their  enemies  on  the 
battle-field,  but  the  whole  population,  is  pro- 
nounced incredible.  To  this  we  reply : — 

1.  The  Israelites  did  not  personally  destroy  all 
that  were  put  to  death.     God  repeatedly,  by 
direct  judgments,  aided  in  the  work. 

2.  The  Israelites  were  expressly  informed  that 
it  was  not  for  their  accommodation  that  these 
people  were  destroyed,  but  on  account  of  the 
deep  depravity  of  the  people;   and  the  same 
destruction  was  denounced  against  them,  if  they 
should  commit  the  like  crimes. 

Now,  by  being  the  immediate  executors  of 
God's  judgments,  they  were  most  vividly  im- 
pressed with  the  indignation  of  the  Almighty 
against  sin,  and  were  most  clearly  placed  with- 
out excuse  if  they  should  commit  such  crimes ; 
while  they  were  prevented  from  becoming  blood- 
thirsty, in  their  dispositions  and  general  habits, 
by  the  humane  provisions  and  character  of  their 
laws  and  worship. 

If,  then,  this  subject  were  left  without  further 
remark,  we  believe  that  every  one  who  has  a 
just  view  of  the  enormity  of  the  sin  of  idolatry, 
and  the  other  kindred  crimes  of  the  Canaanites, 
and  of  the  necessity  that  the  Israelites  should  be 


212  THE    YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

pure  from  all  such  crimes,  will  acknowledge 
that  the  command  of  God  for  their  extirpation 
was  not  unmerciful,  but  right.  We  should  re- 
member that  in  spite  of  this  command  and  this 
summary  judgment  upon  the  Canaanites,  of 
which  the  Israelites  were  themselves  the  execu- 
tors, they  did  themselves  afterward  fall  into  the 
same  crimes,  and  were  punished  j  ust  as  severely. 
"We  do  firmly  believe  that  in  that  age  of  the 
world  no  milder  means  would  have  checked 
idolatry  among  the  Israelites,  and  that  the 
Canaanites  did  deserve  destruction ;  and  that, 
consequently,  the  preservation  of  the  Canaanites 
would  have  been  no  blessing  to  themselves, 
while  it  would  have  been  a  curse  to  the  Israel- 
ites, and  a  curse  to  the  world. 

Here  we  might  let  the  matter  rest ;  but  we 
have  still  more  to  offer.  The  original  inhabit- 
ants of  Canaan  were  not  all  butchered  by  the 
Israelites,  as  some  would  have  us  suppose ;  but 
only  a  sufficient  number  slain,  merely  to  subvert 
their  wicked  government,  and  overthrow  their 
horrid  idolatry  and  criminality.  We  believe  it 
was  all  along  understood  by  the  Israelites,  that 
if  any  of  the  Canaanites  would  renounce  their 
idolatry,  and  receive  them  peaceably,  they  should 
not  be  molested.  This  language  is  found  in 


COMMISSION    OF    THE    ISRAELITES.     213 

Scripture :  "  At  what  instant  I  shall  speak  con- 
cerning a  nation,  and  concerning  a  kingdom,  to 
pluck  up,  and  to  pull  down,  and  to  destroy  it:  if 
that  nation  against  whom  I  have  pronounced, 
turn  from  their  evil,  I  will  repent  of  the  evil 
that  I  thought  to  do  unto  them."*  Now,  the 
Israelites  never  did  destroy  the  Canaanites  ut- 
terly, but  only  broke  down  their  cities  and 
strongholds ;  and  in  their  palmiest  days,  under 
David,  Solomon,  and  other  powerful  kings,  the 
utmost  of  their  triumph  was  to  suppress  idolatry 
within  their  limits,  and  exact  tribute  of  those 
who  on  their  territory  did  not  become  incor- 
porated with  them ;  and  therefore  it  is  strongly 
probable  that  many  of  the  old  inhabitants  did 
actually  adopt  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  and  be- 
come united  with  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. f 

We  have  been  thus  particular  in  examining 
this  subject  because  some,  judging  from  the 
superior  light  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  and 
not  viewing  the  whole  matter,  have  hastily  pro- 
nounced God  unjust  in  commanding  the  Israel- 
ites to  destroy  the  old  inhabitants  of  the  land 
assigned  to  them. 

0  Jeremiah  xviii,  7,  8. 

f  Uriah,  the  Hittite,  for  instance,  was  one  of  the  soldiers  of 
David.  2  Sam.  xi. 


214  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

One  other  subject  claims  attention.  In  the 
course  of  the  Israelitish  history  various  miracles 
were  wrought.  This  we  might  expect,  for  the 
purpose  of  producing  a  strong  conviction  in  the 
successive  generations  of  that  nation,  that  they 
actually  were  a  chosen  people,  commissioned  to 
fulfil  an  express  and  important  purpose  of  Je- 
hovah. We  have  no  doubt  that  miracles  them- 
selves are  wrought  according  to  a  law  of  God, 
though  they  are  apparent  violations  of,  or  ex- 
ceptions to,  his  general  laws.  We  find  that 
they  were  never  wrought  needlessly,  nor  on 
trivial  occasions,  nor  when  the  purposes  of 
Jehovah  could  have  been  otherwise  executed. 
If  the  occasion  justifies  a  miracle,  strictly  speak- 
ing, one  miracle  is  no  more  wonderful  than 
another, — all  are  direct  and  unusual  exhibitions 
of  the  power  of  God. 

These  remarks  will  apply  especially  to  the 
miracle  wrought  during  the  battle  of  Joshua 
with  the  five  kings  at  Gibeon.*  Our  first  in- 
quiry should  be,  Did  the  occasion  require  an 
express  intervention  of  Almighty  power  ?  This 
being  answered  in  the  afiirmative,  we  maintain 
that  one  means  of  intervention  is  no  more  won- 
derful than  another ;  and  God  can  so  control  his 
p  Joshua  x. 


COMMISSION    OF    THE    ISRAELITES.     215 

own  universe,  that  any  miracle  shall  not  inter- 
fere with  the  harmony  of  his  works,  or  introduce 
discord  into  the  regular  system  of  nature.  With- 
out doubt,  the  miracle  in  that  case  was  merely 
the  prolongation  of  the  light  of  the  sun  and 
moon  upon  that  particular  spot  of  the  earth  the 
requisite  time,  while  the  true  motion  of  the 
earth  was  not  retarded. 

The  wonderful  prodigies  exhibited  by  the 
prophets  Elijah  and  Elisha,  far  later  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Israelites,  should  be  viewed  in  this 
light.  There  was  a  demand  for  them :  religion 
was  nearly  extirpated  from  the  earth.  Had  not 
God  intervened  supernaturally,  his  chosen  peo- 
ple would  have  been  lost, — mingled  with  the 
idolaters.  He  therefore  did  interfere,  and  save 
his  people.  We  may  conclude  that  nothing 
less  than  those  wonderful  manifestations  of  his 
power  would,  at  that  time,  have  preserved  the 
true  worship  upon  the  earth. 

The  history  of  the  Israelites,  as  recorded  in  the 
Bible,  we  do  not  propose  any  further  to  notice, 
except  as  it  may  be  necessary  to  refer  to  it  in 
the  elucidations  of  a  few  remarkable  prophecies 
yet  to  be  examined.  We  would,  however,  pre- 
sent a  few  thoughts  upon  a  subject  seldom 
noticed.  The  Bible  is  chiefly  historical.  This 


216  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

history  possesses  all  the  characteristics  and  evi- 
dences of  truth.  Some  of  the  grand  facts  related 
we  have  already  examined,  and  found  them  am- 
ply attested.  There  is  nothing  so  capable  of 
being  established  beyond  the  reach  of  doubt  as 
the  history  of  a  nation ;  since  the  effect  of  many 
events  is  lasting,  and  perpetual  monuments  of 
their  occurrence  may  exist,  in  names,  and  in 
languages,  and  in  institutions,  and  ceremonies. 
The  history  of  the  United  States  of  America,  for 
instance,  can  never  be  forgotten.  Though  the 
aborigines  of  this  continent  should  be  swept  out 
of  existence,  that  there  once  were  Indians  here, 
that  their  tribes  were  numerous,  that  their  lan- 
guage and  customs  were  peculiar,  that  they  were 
warlike,  and  many  other  particulars  concerning 
them,  would  forever  be  known.  Aside  from  the 
historical  accounts,  many  of  our  towns  and  vil- 
lages, and  even  states,  bear  Indian  names,  and 
will  forever  bear  them.  These  names  will  be 
everlasting  attestations  of  the  truth  of  history. 
Tomahawks  and  other  weapons  are  from  time  to 
time  discovered,  and  preserved  in  museums  and 
cabinets ;  and  various  other  everlasting  testimo- 
nials exist. 

Can  the  fact  that  the  white  population  of  this 
country  are  of  European   extraction  ever  be 


COMMISSION    OF    THE    ISRAELITES.     217 

doubted  ?  In  like  manner  all  the  great  facts  of 
the  Bible  history  are  authenticated.  No  scholar 
can  doubt  that  the  Israelites  were  once  in  Egypt. 
The  feast  of  the  passover  still  attests  their  won- 
derful escape.  No  man  can  doubt  that  the  laws 
of  Moses  were  once  the  laws  of  the  nation, — their 
still  existing  customs  prove  it.  No  man  can 
doubt  their  wonderful  escape  from  destruction, 
as  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Esther.  Their  an- 
nual observance  of  the  feast  of  lots,  on  the 
thirteenth  day  of  their  month  Adar,  proves  it. 
In  a  similar  manner  all  the  great  facts  of  their 
history  are  attested. 

Now  who  can  fail  to  see  the  wisdom  of  con- 
necting a  revelation  with  such  a  long  series  of 
well-established  facts  ?  The  truth  of  the  revela- 
tion is  indissolubly  interwoven  with  unbending 
facts.  The  simplest  minds  are  interested  in  this 
relation  ;  but  with  it  they  are  informed  and  con- 
vinced that  God  hath  spoken  to  man,  and  clearly 
revealed  his  holy  will. 

Observe  still  further,  that  the  narratives  con- 
tained in  the  Bible  were  written  by  different 
authors,  living  at  different  places  and  ages. 
They  extend  over  a  wide  sweep,  and  descend 
down  to  minute  particulars,  and  introduce  even 
the  personal  biography  of  individuals,  and  a 


218  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

reference  to  many  small  places.  Contempora- 
neous with  the  historians,  there  also  lived  poets 
and  prophets,  who  in  their  writings  indirectly 
allude  to  this  history,  not  as  they  learned  it  from 
books,  but  as  it  actually  occurred  before  them. 
Now,  it  is  surprising  how  closely  and  beautifully 
all  these  histories  and  careless  allusions  to  history 
coincide !  These  writers  may  be  subjected  to  an 
extensive  and  minute  cross-examination,  and  yet 
they  harmonize.  We  have  in  the  Bible  an  ac- 
count of  the  origin  of  nations,- — the  ancient 
nations  of  the  earth  accord  with  this  account; 
we  have  allusions  to  Egypt,  to  Phoenicia,  to 
Babylon,  to  Persia,  to  Arabia,  to  Edom,  and  to 
Greece  and  Rome, — all  of  which  allusions  beau- 
tifully correspond  with  the  respective  histories 
of  these  several  nations:  and  yet  there  is  no 
apparent  art  in  this, — art  would  have  been  im- 
possible. There  are  even  apparent  contradic- 
tions in  the  Bible,  but  only  such  as  might  have 
been  expected  where  independent  and  truthful 
testimonies  are  given ;  apparent  contradictions, 
which  disappear  upon  close  examination,  and 
which  never  would  hare  existed  had  there  been 
any  effort  to  harmonize  with  each  other. 

A  few  specimens  of  these  apparent  contradic- 
tions may  here  be  given.     In  the  thirteenth 


COMMISSION    OF    THE    ISRAELITES.    219 

chapter  of  Numbers  it  is  stated  that  the  Lord 
commanded  Moses  to  send  spies  into  Canaan ; 
but  in  Deuteronomy  i,  22,  it  is  said,  the  people 
of  Israel  requested  that  spies  should  be  sent.  Is 
not  this  a  contradiction  ?  We  answer :  the  same 
writer  penned  both  those  passages  ;  and  had  he 
been  careful  to  produce  apparent  harmony,  he 
might  have  done  so;  but  truth  was  his  only 
object.  The  fact  doubtless  was  that  the  people 
demanded  the  measure,  and  the  Lord  permitted 
Moses  to  adopt  it. 

Another  instance  is  the  following.  In  Gene- 
sis xlvi,  26,  it  is  said  that  "  all  the  souls  of  the 
house  of  Jacob  which  came  into  Egypt  were 
sixty-six."  But  Stephen  says,  in  the  seventh 
chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  they 
amounted  to  seventy-five.  Here  is  a  difference 
of  nine.  But  if  you  examine  closely,  you  will 
find  that  Stephen  enumerates  the  ~kindrred  of 
Joseph,  including  the  wives  of  Jacob's  sons, 
which  would  have  made  seventy-seven ;  but  the 
death  of  two  was  previously  recorded,  which 
makes  the  number  exactly  seventy-five.* 

"Without  specifying  any  more  such  instances, 

0  There  are  instances,  however,  in  the  Old  Testament,  in 
which  errors,  especially  in  numbers,  have  undoubtedly  crept 
into  the  text. 


220  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

we  would  remark  that  the  narrative  of  the  Bible 
is  strongly  corroborated  by  the  language  in 
which  it  is  written.  The  names  of  their  animal 
and  vegetable  productions, — such  as  leeks  and 
onions,  vine  and  fig-trees,  cedar  and  olive ;  the 
lion,  the  jackal,  the  camel,  and  the  hippopota- 
mus ;  the  ostrich,  the  locust,  and  the  hornet, — 
sufficiently  indicate  the  location  of  the  nation. 
With  their  successive  history,  too,  their  lan- 
guage changes.  Their  connexion  with  the  Chal- 
deans, Assyrians,  Persians,  and  Greeks,  modified, 
successively,  their  language,  until  it  was  finally 
lost,  or'  changed  into  a  peculiar  Greek,  which 
never  was,  and  never  could  have  been,  spoken 
by  any  other  people. 

The  facts  contained  in  the  Bible,  then,  being 
established,  observe  how  inevitably  the  doctrines 
follow. 

Did  God  create  the  heavens  and  the  earth? 
Did  our  first  parents  sin,  and  thus  become  de- 
praved ?  Was  the  human  family  once  destroyed 
by  a  deluge  ?  How  clear  is  it,  then,  that  God  is 
interested  in  the  character  of  man,  and  that  he 
loves  righteousness  and  hates  sin ! 

Did  God  choose  Abraham  to  be  the  father  of 
a  peculiar  people  ;  and  did  he  afterward  govern 
that  people  miraculously,  reveal  to  them  his  will 


COMMISSION     OF    THE    ISRAELITES.     221 

by  his  prophets,  and  give  them  abundant  prom- 
ises, and  so  frame  their  law  and  religious  wor- 
ship that  all  should  point  to  a  coming  Messiah  ? 
How  clear  is  it,  then,  that  the  demands  of  Chris- 
tianity are  binding  upon  us!  How  inevitably 
do  all  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  dispensation 
follow ! 

Allow  me  to  enforce  the  thought  that  the 
history,  the  biography,  the  poetry,  and  the  elo- 
quence of  the  Bible  were  not  given  us  to  gratify 
our  curiosity,  to  please  our  fancy,  nor  even  to 
enlighten  our  minds.  They  are  but  the  vehicles 
of  more  important  truth :  they  are  but  the  tegu- 
ment, the  shell ;  while  the  rich  kernel,  the  true 
substance  of  religion  conveyed  by  them,  is  far 
more  important,  and  indispensably  necessary  to 
every  soul's  salvation.  What  we  have  been  ex- 
amining is  but  the  mere  temple,  which  is  useless 
without  the  Shekinah,  and  the  true  worship  of 
God. 

We  do  firmly  believe  that  no  candid  inquirer 
can  carefully  survey  the  body  of  evidence  which 
has  been  briefly  pointed  out,  without  arriving  at 
the  conclusion  that  the  Bible  is  not  only  wonder- 
ful, but  divine ;  and  that  holy  men  of  old  spoke 
as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost :  but  at 
the  same  time  we  believe  that  many,  proceeding 


222  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

no  further  than  this  firm  belief,  may  remain  just 
as  much,  and  even  more,  sinners  against  God. 
The  Bible  will  be  to  them  practically  a  nullity : 
they  will  have  no  interest  in  its  truths,  no  share 
in  its  promises,  and  remain  exposed  to  its  curse. 
The  condition  of  salvation  is  not,  "  Believe  the 
Bible,"  for  Satan  and  all  damned  spirits  do  that ; 
but,  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The 
command  is,  "  Repent  of  your  sins,  and  renounce 
them." 

The  sick  are  not  cured  by  faith  in  the  excel- 
lence and  power  of  a  medicine,  and  in  the 
knowledge  and  skill  of  a  physician,  but  by  obey- 
ing the  physician  and  applying  the  remedy. 

The  chief  excellence  of  the  Bible  is,  not  that 
without  it  we  should  be  ignorant  of  the  origin 
of  the  world,  and  of  our  own  origin,  and  afloat 
upon  the  ocean  of  conjecture,  and  surrounded 
by  an  atmosphere  of  thick  darkness;  not  that 
there  would  be  no  solid  basis  for  morality,  and 
right  and  wrong  would  be  mere  names  without 
any  substance ;  but  that  it  reveals  to  us  our  im- 
mortality ;  it  shows  us  that  we  are  not  brutes, 
but  sinners,  and  may  be  happy  immortal  beings ; 
it  opens  to  us  the  doors  of  an  eternal  heaven ;  it 
discloses  to  us  the  mercies  of  an  infinite  God ;  it 
reveals  the  compassion  of  a  divine,  yet  human 


COMMISSION    OF    THE    ISRAELITES.     223 

Saviour  ;  it  opens  the  door  of  our  hearts  to  the 
influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  it  shows  how  suf- 
fering and  imperfection  may  be  escaped,  and 
glorious  happiness  and  perfect  excellence  may 
be  obtained.  Neglect  the  Bible,  and  you  must 
forever  remain  in  guilt  and  sorrow ;  and  when 
you  close  your  eyes  on  the  earth  that  has  failed 
to  satisfy  you,  you  must  open  them  in  despair 
and  unending  remorse.  Neglect  the  Bible,  and 
you  may  dream  of  pleasure  for  a  season,  act  a 
senseless  part  in  a  short  life,  with  no  hopes  and 
aims  worthy  of  our  immortal  being,  and  finally 
fall  from  unhappy  time  into  a  wretched  eternity. 
But  cherish  the  Bible,  receive  it,  obey  it,  prac- 
tise it,  and  Christ  becomes  your  Saviour,  God 
your  Father,  earth  your  stepping-stone  to  im- 
mortal blessedness,  and  heaven  your  eternal 
home.  No  longer  a  pall  of  darkness  rests  upon 
the  world,  for  revelation  enlightens  it ;  no  longer 
life  remains  a  mystery  without  object  or  a  dream 
of  vanity,  for  Heaven  invests  it  with  importance ; 
no  longer  the  tomb  is  dreary  and  cheerless,  for 
it  is  but  the  temporary  resting  place  of  the  body, 
while  the  spirit  is  with  God  that  gave  it;  the 
soul  is  converted  and  happy  here,  dignified  by 
communion  with  God,  purified  by  spiritual 
power,  sustained  by  heaven-born  hope,  clothed 


THE     YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

with  righteousness,  and  stamped  with  the  image 
of  the  Divine  One,  and  finally  received  into  ever- 
lasting habitations. 

"We  ask,  then,  not  who  will  believe  the  Bible? 
who  will  honour  the  Bible  ?  who  will  read  the 
Bible  ?  but  we  do  ask,  "Who  will  obey  it  ?  who 
will  even  now  discard  and  repent  of  the  sins  it 
condemns?  who  will  receive  and  pray  to  the 
God  it  reveals,  the  Saviour  it  discloses?  who  will 
turn  aside  from  the  broad  path  which  it  repro- 
bates, and  enter  the  narrow  one  which  it  shows  ? 
who  will  seek  first  a  place  in  the  kingdom  it 
points  to,  and  the  righteousness  it  recommends  ? 
O  who  will  take  the  Bible  as  a  guide,  and  its 
author  as  a  Father  and  Saviour  ?  who  will  bind 
its  precepts  upon  their  hearts,  and  have  its  prin- 
ciples written  upon  their  souls  ?  who  will  prefer 
the  treasure  it  promises  to  wealth,  the  glory 
it  holds  up  to  honour,  the  comfort  it  offers  to 
pleasure  ?  who  will  seek,  as  a  parent,  first  to  im- 
press a  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  and  obedience 
to  it,  as  of  prime  importance,  upon  his  child  ? 
In  fine,  who  will  show,  by  the  general  tenor  of 
his  life,  and  by  the  whole  ordering  of  his  con- 
versation, that  he  regards  the  religion  of  the 
Bible  as  the  "one  thing  needful,"  and  alone 
worthy  of  the  life-struggle  of  every  man  ? 


THE    PROPHECIES    OF    MOSES.  225 


CHAPTEE 

THE   PROPHECIES   OF   MOSES. 


THE  prophecies  of  Moses,  and  *^eir  clear  fulfil- 
ment, do  undeniably  de^^strate  his  divine  com- 
mission. Thesp  prophecies  are  so  various,  so 
connected  an^  so  minute,  and  their  fulfilment  is 
P*  evident,  and  so  remote  from  his  time,  and  was 
brought  about  by  such  a  singular  train  of  causes, 
that  none  but  God  could  have  foreseen,  that 
every  candid  inquirer  must  bow  with  astonish- 
ment before  Him  who,  through  Moses,  revealed 
his  vast  designs. 

This  is  the  fact  to  which  we  bespeak  attention. 
A  mere  man,  like  one  of  us,  who  lived  about 
three  thousand  years  ago,  foretold  a  long-con- 
nected train  of  events,  and  with  an  air  of  author- 
ity assuredly  proclaimed  that  all  should  come  to 
pass.  History,  written  by  successive  authors  down 
even  to  the  present  day,  has  most  singularly  and 
exactly  delineated  a  full  accomplishment  of  those 
predictions.  Can  anything  be  more  miraculous  ? 

Could  higher  evidence  of  inspiration  be  imagined  ? 
15 


THE     YOUNG   MAN     ADVISED. 

The  prophecies  of  Moses,  to  which  we  allude, 
are  those  given  by  him  immediately  after  pub- 
lishing the  laws  of  his  nation.  Omitting  some 
of  the  less  remarkable  or  distinguishing  predic- 
tions, the  prophecies  are  as  follows,  as  found  in 
the  twenty- eighth  and  twenty-ninth  chapters  of 
Deuteronomy.  After  promising  prosperity,  on 
certain  conditions,  which  prosperity  was  always 
enjoyed  so  long  as  the  Conditions  were  observed, 
he  continues : — 

"It  shall  come  to  pass,  if  thou  wilt  i,0t  hearken 
unto  the  voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  6bc*>i-ro 
to  do  all  his  commandments  and  his  statutes, 
which  I  command  thee  this  day :  that  all  these 
curses  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  overtake  thee : 
and  they  shall  be  upon  thee  for  a  sign  and  for  a 
wonder,  and  upon  thy  seed  forever." 

Then  follows  an  enumeration  of  curses,  from 
the  forty-ninth  verse  tb  the  sixty- third. 

The  same  subject  is  presented  in  Leviticus 
xxvi,  33-39. 

Now,  to  doubt  respecting  the  accurate  and 
complete  fulfilment  of  this  long  train  of  prophe- 
cies, is  impossible  to  any  one  conversant  with  the 
history  and  present  condition  of  the  people  ad- 
dressed. The  verification  of  the  prophecy  must 
bo  acknowledged,  and  must  be  convincing,  ex- 


THE     PKOPIIECIES     OF     MOSES.  227 

cept  to  those  who  will  not  believe.  Let  us  now 
closely  examine  it. 

1.  It  is  expressly  foretold  that  the  Israelites 
shall  suffer  so  conspicuously  and  strangely  that 
the  attention  of  other  nations  will  be  arrested, 
and  men  shall  inquire  into  the  origin  of  those 
sufferings,  "  and  they  shall  be  for  a  sign  and  a 
wonder,  upon  thy  seed  forever." 

That  this  is  true  no  man  can  deny.  Whatever 
the  religious  tenets  of  any  historian,  or  traveller, 
who  has  become  acquainted  with  this  nation,  he 
has  acknowledged  that  their  condition  is  won- 
derful, and  cannot  be  accounted  for  upon  the 
principles  of  nature ;  and  every  man  who  ac- 
knowledges the  direct  agency  of  the  Almighty 
in  any  event,  recognises  that  agency  here. 

"  Good  God,"  exclaims  Yolney,*  a  man,  alas ! 
who  would  not  acknowledge  the  truth  when 
looking  upon  Judea,  over  which  he  travelled, 
"  from  whence  proceed  such  melancholy  revolu- 
tions ?  For  what  cause  is  the  fortune  of  these 
countries  so  strikingly  changed?  why  are  so 
many  cities  destroyed  ?  why  is  not  that  ancient 
population  reproduced  and  perpetuated? 

"  I  wandered  over  the  country, — I  traversed 
the  provinces, — I  enumerated  the  kingdoms  of 

0  Volney's  Ruins,  chap,  ii,  p.  8. 


228  THE     YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Damascus  and  Idumea,  of  Jerusalem  and  Sa- 
maria. 'This  Syria,'  said  I  to  myself,  'now 
almost  depopulated,  then  contained  a  hundred 
flourishing  cities,  and  abounded  with  towns,  vil- 
lages, and  hamlets.  What  has  become  of  so 
many  productions  of  the  hands  of  man  ?  What 
has  become  of  those  ages  of  abundance  and 
life?'" 

2.  The  second  prediction  of  Moses  was  a 
striking  description  of  the  nation  which  was  to 
overthrow  the  Jewish  empire,  and  produce  this 
destruction.  What  nation  was  it?  Every  stu- 
dent of  history  can  reply,  It  was  Rome  that 
subjugated  Palestine:  it  was  the  fourth  and  last 
universal  empire  that  dethroned  her  monarch, 
sacked  her  cities,  and  slaughtered  her  people. 

•Behold  now  the  prophet's  description  of  this 
people,  many  centuries  before  Romulus  and 
Remus  had  established  their  asylum  for  banditti 
at  Rome,  which  afterward  became  mistress  of 
the  western  world:  "The  Lord  shall  bring 
against  thee  a  nation  from  far,  from  the  end  of 
the  earth."  Rome  was  far  from  Palestine;  it 
was  a  region  which  none  of  them  who  listened 
to  Moses  had  ever  visited, — a  region  of  whose 
existence  they  were  as  ignorant  as  they  were  of 
America ;  a  nation,  adds  the  prophet,  "  as  swift 


THE     PROPHECIES     OF     MOSES. 

as  the  eagle  flieth."  Every  one  is  aware  of  the 
unparalleled  celerity  with  which  a  Roman  army 
moved  and  conquered.  They  marched  .with 
astonishing  speed,  and  always  surprised  their 
enemies :  "I  came, — I  saw, — I  conquered !"  was 
the  boastful  and  characteristic  letter  of  their 
greatest  general,  after  his  greatest  triumph. 
Moreover,  what  an  aptness  there  is  in  the  proph- 
et's similitude,  "as  swift  as  the  eagle  flieth," 
when  we  consider  that  the  eagle  was  the  stand- 
ard of  the  Roman  nation,  as  it  is  now  of  ours, — 
the  eagle,  emblematic  of  swiftness  and  of  power. 
But,  continues  the  prophet,  it  shall  be  "  a  nation 
whose  tongue  thou  shalt  not  understand."  A 
strange  prediction  that!  It  should  be  a  nation 
of  whose  language  they  were  utterly  ignorant : 
not  the  Egyptian,  for  many  of  them  could  speak 
Egyptian  ;  not  Persia,  nor  Babylon,  nor  Arabia, 
nor  in  fact  any  nation  speaking  a  language  simi- 
lar to  their  own.  The  event  proves  the  correct- 
ness of  the  prediction,  for  no  languages  are  more 
dissimilar  than  the  Hebrew  and  the  Latin. 
"  A  nation,"  too,  says  the  prophet,  "  of  fierce 
countenance,  which  shall  not  regard  the  person 
of  the  old,  nor  show  favour  to  the  young." 
Fierceness  of  countenance  was  a  well-known 
characteristic  of  the  Roman  soldiers ;  and  their 


230  THE     YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

merciless  severity,  their  impartial  cruelty  in 
time  of  action,  the  unhesitating  ferocity  with 
which  they  slaughtered  indiscriminately  all  who 
opposed  them,  are  proverbial,  and. were  espe- 
cially exhibited  in  the  destruction  of  the  Jews. 

Now,  could  Moses,  as  a  man,  have  foreseen 
and  described  this  nation  so  accurately,  before 
as  yet  it  had  an  existence,  before  even  its 
founder  was  born,  before  their  city  had  been 
redeemed  from  the  primitive  forest,  or  perhaps 
had  even  been  trodden  by  the  foot  of  man? 
And  could  he  foresee  that  that  nation  would 
conquer  Judea  ?  If  any  man  thinks  so,  will  not 
that  same  wise  man  inform  us  what  singular  na- 
tion will  spring  up,  in  some  remote  part  of  the 
earth,  one  thousand  years  hence;  and  in  what 
way,  some  five  hundred  years  afterward,  that 
singular  people  will  become  connected  with  us  ? 

3.  But  this  does  not  exhaust  the  predictions  of 
Moses.  In  the  third  place,  he  describes  the 
particulars  of  the  siege  of  their  cities,  and  the 
overthrow  of  their  nation.  Verses  51-56. 

Now,  was  this  terrible  prediction  verified? 
O,  war  has  many  a  sad  story  to  tell !  Its  history 
is  written  in  blood!  For  the  honour  of  in  an, 
would  that  it  might  be  forgotten  I  May  it  never 
be  repeated  !  But  perhaps  its  bloodiest  page  is 


THE    PROPHECIES     OF    MOSES.  231 

the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  slaughter  of 
the  Jews,  by  the  Romans.  It  took  place  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  TO,  fifteen  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  years  after  Moses  repeated  this  prophecy. 
Titus,  the  Roman  commander,  was  esteemed  a 
mild  and  benevolent  man;  but  so  determined 
were  the  Jews  in  their  opposition,  they  per- 
formed such  prodigies  of  valour,  they  so  exas- 
perated the  Roman  soldiery,  that  even  his  severe 
discipline  could  not  control  their  rage.  At  last 
he  lost  his  own  clemency,  and  yielded  to  passion ; 
and  the  merciless  destruction  that  ensued  is  per- 
haps without  parallel.  Children  and  the  aged, 
maidens  and  mothers,  were  slaughtered  and  even 
crucified  alive,  with  undistinguishable  and  de- 
moniac barbarity. 

But  why  should  I  attempt  to  describe  what 
has  been  so  well  related  by  a  Jew,  who  wrote 
an  account  of  what  he  himself  saw  ?  I  refer  to 
Josephus,  the  famous  Jewish  historian.  In  the 
sixth  book  of  his  wars  of  the  Jews,  and  eighth 
chapter,  he  says, — mark  with  what  cool,  his- 
torical language  he  relates  these  bloody  deeds, 
— "  So  the  Romans  being  now  become  masters 
of  the  walls,  they  placed  their  engines  upon  the 
towers,  and  made  joyful  acclamations  for  the 
victory  they  had  gained,  as  having  found  the 


232  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

end  of  this  war  much  lighter  than  its  beginning. 
But  when  they  went,  in  numbers,  into  the  lanes 
of  the  city,  with  their  swords  drawn,  they  slew 
those  whom  they  overtook  without  mercy,  and 
set  fire  to  the  houses  whither  the  Jews  were  fled, 
and  burnt  every  soul  in  them,  and  laid  waste  a 
great  many  of  the  rest ;  and  when  they  came  to 
the  houses  to  plunder  them,  they  found  in  them 
entire  families  of  dead  men,  and  the  upper 
rooms  full  of  dead  corpses,  that  is,  of  such  as 
died  by  the  famine :  they  then  stood  in  a  horror 
at  this  sight,  and  went  out  without  touching 
anything.  But  although  they  had  this  com- 
miseration for  such  as  were  destroyed  in  that 
manner,  yet  had  they  not  the  same  for  those  that 
were  still  alive,  but  they  ran  every  one  through 
whom  they  met  with,  and  obstructed  even  the 
very  lanes  with  their  dead  bodies;  and  made 
the  whole  city  run  down  with  blood,  to  such  a 
degree,  indeed,  that  the  fire  of  many  of  the 
houses  was  quenched  with  these  men's  blood !" 

Thus  wrote  Josephus,  who  himself  was  taken 
by  the  Romans  out  of  a  pit,  into  which  he  had 
jumped  to  save  his  life,  at  the  destruction  of 
Jotopata,  a  few  years  before  Jerusalem  was 
thus  destroyed. 

As  if  no  particular  feature  should  be  wanting 


THE    PROPHECIES    OF    MOSES. 

in  the  history  to  verify  the  prophecy,  Josephus 
relates  an  occurrence  at  which  he  shudders,  and 
which  he  states  he  would  not  write,  but  that  it 
was  well  known  and  attested.  A  woman,  he 
says,  of  high  rank,  just  such  a  one  as  Moses  de- 
scribes, actually  slew  her  own  child  for  food! 
It  is  probable  that  this — which  he  saw — was 
but  one  of  many  instances.  What  a  verifica- 
tion of  the  fifty- sixth  and  fifty-seventh  verses  of 
the  twenty-eighth  chapter  of  Deuteronomy! 
What  a  destruction  was  that  in  which  more 
than  eleven  hundred  thousand  Jews  were  slain 
within  a  few  months ;  besides  many  thousands 
more  that  perished  within  a  few  years ! 

4.  The  fourth  particular  prediction  of  Moses, 
in  this  prophecy,  now  claims  your  attention; 
and  this  is  indeed,  in  some  respects,  as  remark- 
able as  any :  "  And  the  Lord  shall  bring  thee 
into  Egypt  again,  with  ships;  and  there  ye 
shall  be  sold  unto  your  enemies  for  bond-men 
and  bond-women,  and  no  man  shall  buy  you." 

Now  it  had  been  foretold  that  their  destroyers 
should  be  a  strange  nation  from  afar,  and  speak- 
ing a  strange  language.  Who  then,  uninspired, 
could  have  anticipated  that  this  strange,  distant 
nation  would  have  any  commerce  with  Egypt  ? 
Who  could  have  foretold  that,  fifteen  hundred 


234  THE     YOUNG     MAN    ADVISED. 

years  after  his  time,  Egypt  would  be  a  nation, 
or  that  Egypt  would  hold  slaves  ?  Yet  Moses 
does  foretell  it;  and  what  is  more,  he  specifies 
the  mode  of  conveyance  that  would  be  resorted 
to  ;  not  by  land,  though  the  distance  was  short, 
but  by  ships,  a  method  by  which  they  could 
not  have  been  conveyed  when  Moses  spoke.  He 
also  foretells  that  the  slave-market  should  at  last 
be  glutted,  and  no  man  would  buy  them. 

Now  observe  the  fulfilment.  At  the  time  of 
this  war  the  Romans  had  a  fleet  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean, by  which,  without  doubt,  the  captive 
Jews  were  transported,  as  that  for  them  was  the 
more  expeditious  way.  Josephus  says  :  "  Titus 
grew  negligent,  and  his  soldiers  grew  weary  of 
killing  them,  and  sold  the  rest  of  the  multitude, 
with  their  wives  and  children,  at  a  very  low 
price,  because  such  as  were  sold  were  very  many, 
and  the  buyers  were  few ;  and  the  number  of 
those  that  were  sold  was  immense."* 

Afterward  he  states,  "As  for  the  rest  of  the 
multitude,  he  [Fronto,  a  general  under  Titus]  put 
them  into  bonds,  and  sent  them  to  the  Egyptian 
mines :"f  How  striking  this  accomplishment ! 

5.  Yet  another  specific  prediction  was  uttered 

0  Wars  of  the  Jews,  book  vi,  chap,  viii,  sec.  2. 
f  Ibid.,  book  vi,  chap,  ix,  sec.  2. 


THE     PROPHECIES    OF    MOSES.  235 

at  this  time  by  Moses,  and  this  also  is  in  itself 
wonderful.  Their  land  should  be  smitten  with 
barrenness.  A  radical  change  in  the  character  of 
the  soil  of  a  country,  or  in  the  seasons,  is  a  prodigy 
that  no  man  could  anticipate ;  and  that  it  should 
occur  not  till  after  the  nation  dwelling  on  the  spot 
was  destroyed  for  their  sins,  is,  indeed,  beyond 
expression  marvellous.  But  Moses  says  :  "  The 
generation  to  come  of  your  children  shall  say, 
when  they  come  from  a  far  land,  when  they  see 
the  plagues  of  the  land,  that  it  is  not  sown,  nor 
beareth,  Wherefore  hath  the  Lord  done  this?" 

The  ancient  fertility  of  Palestine  was  remark- 
able. Its  area  was  only  about  eleven  thousand 
square  miles,  not  quite  one-fourth  as  large  as  the 
State  of  New- York,  and  yet  the  population,  in 
its  palmiest  days,  must  have  been  more  than  five 
millions.* 

This  population  was  immense,  and  alone  shows 
that  the  soil  must  have  been  fertile  and  highly 
cultivated.  Of  this  fact  there  is  abundant  evi- 
dence in  the  ruins  of  cities,  and  in  the  still  exist- 
ing traces  of  artificial  and  skilful  cultivation. 
The  mountains  were  terraced,  and  where  it  was 
needed  soil  was  carried ;  the  plains  and  valleys 
were  all  occupied,  and  the  whole  country  divided 

*  2  Sam.  xxiv,  9. 


236  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

into  small  estates,  occupied  by  their  real  owners, 
each  of  whom  literally  sat  under  his  own  vine 
and  fig-tree. 

Josephus  describes  Galilee  as  "  full  of  planta- 
tions of  trees  of  all  sorts,  insomuch  that  it  in- 
vites the  most  slothful  to  take  pains  in  its  cultiva- 
tion, by  its  fruitfulness ;  accordingly  it  is  all  cul- 
tivated by  its  inhabitants,  and  no  part  of  it  lies 
idle.  Moreover  the  cities  lie  here  very  thick, 
and  the  very  many  villages  that  are  here  are 
everywhere  so  full  of  people,  by  the  richness  of 
their  soil,  that  the  very  least  of  them  contain 
above  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants."* 

The  whole  of  Palestine  is  described  by  him  as 
equally  as  fertile  as  Galilee. 

Tacitus,  the  Roman  historian,  says :  "  The  soil 
[of  Palestine]  was  fertile,  and  their  fruits  such  as 
are  common  with  us,  besides  balsam  and  dates. "f 

L.  Annseus  Florus  gives  similar  testimony. 

Ammianus  Marcellinus,  a  later  historian, 
writes  that  Palestine  abounded  in  cultivated  and 
beautiful  lands,  and  had  many  noble  cities,  none 
yielding  to  the  others,  but  each  as  it  were  emu- 
lous of  perfection.^ 

Q  Wars  of  the  Jews,  book  iii,  chap,  iii,  sec.  2. 

t  Tacit.  Hist.,  lib.  v,  cap.  vi,  8. 

J  Am.  Mar.,  lib.  xiv,  cap.  viii,  sec.  11. 


THE     PROPHECIES     OF    MOSES.  237 

And  Pliny,  the  elder,  states  that  Syria  was 
very  wealthy  in  gardens,  and  gives  a  glow- 
ing description  of  its  various  natural  produc- 
tions.* 

But  what  is  the  state  of  Palestine  now  ?  Traces 
of  its  former  wealth  are  indeed  extant,  but  its 
mountains  are  now,  except  in  a  few  spots,  bleak ; 
its  plains,  uncultivated ;  its  valleys,  wild.  Thorns 
and  thistles  abound,  its  forests  and  shade-trees 
are  prostrated,  and  even  in  many  places  no  grass 
or  flowers  can  be  seen,  and  the  whole  country  is 
dry  and  dusty.  All  this  has  been  brought  about 
by  the  devastation  of  enemies,  and  by  the  intol- 
erance and  oppression  of  its  present  semi-barba- 
rous inhabitants.  It  is  proper,  however,  that  we 
should  state  that  to  this  picture  there  are  some 
redeeming  features.  The  land  still  shows  its  ca- 
pability of  improvement.  Pasturage,  in  many 
places,  is  abundant,  the  palm  and  the  grape  still 
thrive,  and  the  few  inhabitants,  not  more  than 
one-tenth  of  its  former  population,  are  well  sup- 
plied with  all  the  necessaries  of  life.  Still  the 
population  is  even  now  diminishing  on  account 
of  their  oppression,  the  uncertainty  of  enjoying 
the  fruit  of  their  labour,  high  taxation,  military 
conscription,  and  the  ravages  of  the  plague.  The 
*  Plin.  Nat.  Hist.,  lib.  xii. 


238  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

very  soil,  then,  is  a  perpetual  monument  to  attest 
the  inspiration  of  Moses. 

6.  One  specific  prediction  of  the  prophetic 
legislator  yet  remains  to  be  considered ;  and 
though  nothing  could  be  more  convincing  and 
clear  than  what  we  have  already  examined,  yet 
this  challenges  our  notice,  and  triumphantly  si 
lences  all  opposition,  and  dispels  all  doubt ;  since 
the  fulfilment  is  witnessed  by  all  nations,  in 
every  part  of  the  world,  and  is  in  itself  a  mirac- 
ulous event : — 

"  And  the  Lord  shall  scatter  thee  among  all 
people,  from  the  one  end  of  the  earth  even  unto 
the  other ;  and  among  these  nations  shalt  thou 
find  no  ease,  neither  shall  the  sole  of  thy  foot 
have  rest." 

Before  we  exhibit  the  accomplishment  of  this 
prophecy  let  us  inquire,  Could  this  be  predicated 
of  any  other  people  under  heaven  ?  The  Egyp- 
tian nation  has  been  overthrown ;  but  are  the 
Egyptians  scattered  all  over  the  world?  The 
Carthaginians,  Grecians,  and  even  Romans  have 
been  conquered :  are  they,  or  any  one  of  them, 
dispersed  to  the  corners  of  the  earth  ?  The  Jews, 
in  this  respect,  stand  alone,  a  solitary  spectacle, 
for  which  the  historian  and  the  philosopher  can- 
not account.  While  prosperous  they  were  pro- 


THE     PROPHECIES     OF     MOSES.  239 

verbially  unfaithful  to  their  law  ;  but  as  soon  as 
troubles  came  upon  them  they  began  pertina- 
ciously to  adhere  to  some  of  the  external  require- 
ments of  their  legislator,  by  which  their  identity 
as  a  people  has  been  preserved,  and  now  their 
number  is  as  great  as  when  they  were  first  up- 
rooted from  their  own  soil.  The  lapse  of  ages 
cannot  soften  their  peculiarities  or  wear  away 
their  national  stamp.  They  are  exposed  to  all 
influences,  and  all  are  alike  inoperative.  Other 
people  with  a  change  of  climate  have  degener- 
ated or  improved,  with  a  change  of  government 
have  been  thoroughly  transformed  ;  but  climate, 
commerce,  art,  and  education  must  beat  in  vain 
against  the  rocky  prejudices  of  the  Jew.  And 
where  are  they  ?  Rather  let  us  ask,  Where  are 
they  ^  2  They  are  in  the  new  world  and  in 
the  old,  ana  ;n  everv  part  of  each.  Not  only 
are  they  in  every  c^ntry  of  Europe  ;  but  visit 
the  cheerless  plains  of  os^a,  the  Russian 
prison,  and  the  descendants  of  Jaeo*  are  there  ! 
Penetrate  into  the  Chinese  empire  —  from  \v\nch 
you  were  excluded  till  within  a  few  years  —  and 
you  will  find  that,  for  centuries,  the  descendants 
of  Jacob  have  been  there.  They  have  there  as 
here  their  synagogues,  and  their  congregations, 
and  their  Bible,  corresponding  with  ours,  though 

- 


- 
J1U7BRSIT7 


24:0  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

when  and  how  they  entered  the  region,  no  histo- 
rian can  tell.  Even  go  to  Africa ;  visit  the  bor- 
ders of  those  regions  in  which  it  is  said  no  Eu- 
ropean can  live ;  pierce  them  as  far  as  white 
men  ever  pierced  them  and  returned,  and  you 
will  see  and  hear  of  this  self-same  people  around 
and  beyond  you !  Wonder  of  wonders !  who 
can  account  for  it  ?  "Were  they  all  over  Europe 
alone,  still  it  would  be  strange !  Were  they  all 
over  America  only,  still  it  would  be  strange ! 
Were  they  all  over  Asia  alone,  their  native  con- 
tinent, still  it  would  be  strange  !  But  in  Europe, 
Africa,  Asia,  and  America  are  they  dwelling ;  and 
even  on  many  of  the  isles  of  the  deep.  Observe, 
too,  there  is  not  a  people  on  earth  that  have  so 
strong  attachments  to  their  own  land,  and  so  jip- 
tense  a  desire  to  dwell  in  it.  They  wo^^P  to- 
ward Jerusalem,  and  the  holy  Ian  *  co  tnem  is  as 
it  were  the  stepping-sto^  to  paradise.  More 
strongly  bound  to  ^eir  religion  than  any  other 
people,  yp*  d&at  religion  is  on  account  of  their 
dispersion  mutilated ;  and  they  have  not,  and  as 
we  believe  never  can  have,  till  they  embrace 
Christ,  either  temple,  or  priest,  or  altar,  or  sa- 
crifice. 

And  among  these  nations  they  have   "not 
found  rest  for  the  sole  of  their  feet."    In  some 


THE     PROPHECIES    OF    MOSES.  241 

portions  of  the  world  they  have  now  peace,  but 
not  in  all ;  and  till  of  late,  perhaps  preparatory  to 
their  conversion,  they  have  found  none.  Their 
persecutions  have  been  unceasing,  intolerant. 
That  Christians  in  the  darker  ages  should  have 
persecuted  them  as  the  crucifiers  of  Christ  is 
not  strange;  but  even  the  Mohammedan,  and 
what  is  still  more  surprising  the  pagan,  know- 
ing nothing  of  their  history,  have  given  them  no 
rest. 

Actuated  by  the  mild  spirit  and  the  sublime 
teachings  of  their  Founder,  whom  the  Jews  put 
to  death,  without  cause,  the  Christians  have  been 
the  first  to  extend  tolerance  and  friendship  to 
the  wandering  children  of  Abraham  ;  and  may 
we  not  hope  that  soon  the  veil  which  is  on  their 
hearts  will  be  removed,  and  they,  "  looking  on 
Him  whom  they  have  pierced,"  may  find  for- 
giveness and  peace,  and  once  more  return  to 
Palestine,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth,  the  con- 
verters of  the  world  ? 

The  scroll  of  the  future  was  unrolled  by 
Moses,  and  what  most  astonishes  us  as  history 
was  by  him  related  as  prophecy.  Has  any  sane 
man  a  right  to  deny  his  divine  inspiration  ?  But 

if  that  be  acknowledged,  it  can  be  easily  shown 
16 


242  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

that  a  unity  of  design,  and  spirit,  and  origin, 
pervades  the  holy  book :  it  must  all  be  received 
as  the  word  of  God ;  and  to  bring  this  thought 
prominently  out  before  you  is  the  object  of  this 
book. 

Perhaps  no  reader  questions  the  inspiration 
and  divinity  of  the  Bible ;  but,  alas !  our  faith  is 
too  traditional,  and  consequently  too  feeble. 
Too  many  of  us  believe  just  because  our  fathers 
did,  and  taught  us  so ;  and  we  are  inclined  to 
think  that  if  we  do  as  well  as  our  fathers  did,  all 
will  be  right.  Now  this  depends  altogether 
upon  two  things — whether  our  fathers  did  right, 
and  whether  we  have  no  more  light  than  they 
Go  back  far  enough,  and  our  ancestors  were  in 
the  dark  ages;  and  I  doubt  not  some  of  them 
obeyed  all  the  instruction  they  had,  and  were 
saved;  but,  thank  God,  we  have  more  light. 
What  saved  them  will  not  save  us.  We  must 
come  to  the  light,  and  learn  as  much  as  we  can ; 
but  knowledge  alone  will  not  benefit  us.  It  is 
not  enough  that  we  acknowledge  the  truth  of 
the  Bible — we  must  make  it  our  sole  depend- 
ence and  guide. 


BABYLON  AND  NINEVEH.       243 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

BABYLON  AND   NINEYEH. 

THIS  volume  would  be  incomplete  without  a 
brief  view  of  the  proof  of  the  divine  origin  of 
the  Bible,  in  the  remarkable  fulfilment  of 
prophecy,  in  the  history  of  the  two  great  cities 
of  Babylon  and  Nineveh,  and  in  the  verifica- 
tion of  the  Scriptural  references  to  these  cities, 
by  the  late  and  wonderful  explorations  of  their 
long-concealed  ruins. 

Babylon  was  an  immense  city,  situated  on 
both  sides  of  the  River  Euphrates,  the  metropo- 
lis of  the  Babylonio-Chaldean  empire.  Its 
foundation  was  laid,  undoubtedly,  by  the  build- 
ing of  the  tower  of  Babel.  Begun  thus  in  iniquity, 
its  history  was  a  perpetuation  of  idolatry,  vio- 
lence, sensuality,  and  vice  ;  and  finally  its  name 
became  a  synonyme  of  corruption  and  rebellion 
against  God. 

Many  of  the  heathen  descriptions  of  it  are  so 
magnificent  as  to  be  considered  by  some  exag- 
gerated and  fabulous;  and  yet  it  is  doubtful 


244  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

whether  all  of  them,  properly  understood,  were 
not  within  the  limits  of  truth.  Herodotus  states 
that  the  city  was  square,  and  the  walls  sixty 
miles  in  circumference,  which  would  make  each 
side  fifteen  miles  long.  These  walls  were  said 
to  be  immensely  thick,  so  that  even  four  chariots 
could  pass  each  other  upon  them.  All  traces  of 
these  outer  walls  have  disappeared.  The  land 
enclosed  by  the  walls  was  not  all  covered  with 
buildings,  but  embraced  large  parks  and  or- 
chards, and  many  cultivated  gardens  and  farms. 
Its  canals,  palaces,  temples,  hanging  gardens, 
and  other  works  of  strength  and  art,  equalled 
any  works  of  man,  ancient  or  modern. 

Among  its  ruins,  still  existing,  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Birs  Nimroud,  believed  by  many  to 
be  the  remnant  of  the  Tower  of  Babel,  after- 
ward converted  into  a  temple,  for  the  worship 
of  the  idol,  Baal  or  Bel.  This — being  now  two 
hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  in  height — was  built 
of  burned  bricks ;  and  many  inscriptions  have 
been  found,  none  of  which  are  of  a  more  ancient 
date  than  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  lived  about 
six  hundred  years  before  Christ.  It  is  the  opinion 
of  some  that  this  structure  was  rebuilt  by  him.* 

0  Layard's  Dis.  of  Nin.  and  Bab.,  2d  Exp.  Abridg.  New- 
York :  Putnam  and  Co.  1853.  Page 


BABYLON  AND  NINEVEH.       245 

Besides  the  Birs  Nimroud,  other  irregular 
mounds  still  exist,  though  Babylon  is  mostly 
"  pools  of  water."  These  have  all  been  ex- 
plored with  some  care ;  and  confused  heaps 
of  ruins,  burned  and  unburned  bricks,  walls  of 
standing  masonry,  jugs,  and  other  implements 
have  been  discovered,  but  as  yet  nothing  that 
sheds  any  clear  light  upon  history,  but  simply 
confirming  the  traditions  of  its  former  wealth 
and  magnificence. 

Babylon,  though  founded  shortly  after  the 
deluge,  and  though  mentioned  on  Egyptian 
monuments  as  early  as  the  exodus  of  the  Israel- 
ites,* seems  not  to  have  become  a  city  of  the 
first  magnitude  and  power  till  the  time  of  Neb- 
uchadnezzar. He  had  greatly  extended  the 
boundaries  of  the  empire,  conquering  Syria 
and  Palestine,  and  a  part  of  Egypt.  The  rich, 
level  country  between  the  Rivers  Tigris  and 
Euphrates  was  highly  cultivated,  the  mechanical 
arts  and  commerce  flourished,  and  Babylon  was 
rolling  in  wealth.  Then,  when  his  heart  was 
lifted  up,  the  king  exclaimed,  "  Is  not  this  great 
Babylon  that  I  have  built  for  the  house  of  the 
kingdom,  by  the  might  of  my  power,  and  for  the 
honour  of  my  majesty?" 

•  Layard's  Second  Expedition,  abridged,  page  426. 


24:6  THE     YOUNG     MAN    ADVISED. 

It  was  precisely  at  this  time  that  Jeremiah 
lived.  He  had  witnessed  the  triumphs  of  Neb- 
uchadnezzar:  his  heart  had  bled  at  the  over- 
throw of  Jerusalem  and  his  native  country. 
His  patriotism  and  his  religion  were  both 
severely  tried ;  and  his  words  seem  to  have  been 
wrung  from  an  agonized  soul — every  breath  was 
a  sigh,  and  his  eyes  were  a  fountain  of  tears. 
But  even  then  he  dared  to  foretell  the  destruc- 
tion of  Babylon:  while  he  advised  the  ready 
submission  of  his  countrymen,  and  for  that 
received  their  hatred  and  contempt,  and  was 
charged  with  being  in  league  with  his  country's 
foe, — bitterest  ingredient  in  the  cup  of  the  weep- 
ing prophet, — yet  he  predicted  the  utter  and 
eternal  devastation  of  the  then  most  magnificent 
city  on  the  round  earth:  "For  lo,  I  will  raise 
[saith  the  Lord]  and  cause  to  come  up  against 
Babylon  an  assembly  of  great  nations,  from  the 
north:  and  she  shall  be  taken;  and  Chaldea 
shall  be  a  spoil.  Cut  off  the  sower  from  Baby- 
lon, and  him  that  handleth  the  sickle  in  the  time 
of  harvest.  How  is  the  hammer  of  the  whole 
earth  cut  asunder  and  broken !  How  is  Babylon 
become  a  desolation  among  the  nations!  A 
drought  is  upon  her  waters,  and  they  shall  bo 
dried  up.  Wild  beasts  of  the  desert,  with  the 


BABYLON  AND  NINEVEH.       247 

wild  beasts  of  the  islands,  shall  dwell  there,  and 
the  owls  shall  dwell  therein :  it  shall  no  more  be 
inhabited  forever.  O  thou  that  dwellest  upon 
many  waters,  abundant  in  treasures,  thine  end 
is  come,  and  the  measure  of  thy  covetousness. 
I  will  make  thee  a  burnt  mountain.  And  they 
shall  not  take  of  thee  a  stone  for  a  corner,  nor  a 
stone  for  foundations ;  but  thou  shalt  be  desolate 
forever,  saith  the  Lord." 

How  astonishing  are  these  predictions !  How 
exactly  have  they  been  fulfilled !  When  Jere- 
miah lived,  Babylon  had  not  shown  one  symptom 
of  decay ;  it  was  in  the  very  zenith  of  its  glory. 
Like  London  and  Paris,  it  was  adding  to  its  pal- 
aces, its  temples,  its  adornments,  its  fortifications, 
its  commerce,  and  its  population  annually,  and 
was  the  leading  city  of  the  world,  the  emporium 
of  fashion  and  of  power. 

Observe,  too,  these  predictions  of  Jeremiah 
were  no  random-shots  of  a  fanatic,  no  disjointed 
imaginings  of  a  dreamer :  at  least  six  distinct 
predictions,  three  of  which  would  be  applicable 
to  no  other  city  destroyed  in  ancient  or  modern 
times,  and  two  others,  which  no  human  sagacity 
could  have  anticipated. 

The  enemies  were  to  come  "  from  the  north." 
Who  could  have  anticipated  it?  How  different 


248  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

from  the  destruction  of  Israel  predicted  "by  Moses, 
which  was  to  be  brought  about  by  a  "  people 
from  a  far  country,  whose  language  they  could 
not  understand !"  Had  Jeremiah  made  such  a 
prediction  of  Babylon,  it  would  have  been  false. 
It  was  the  Medes,  from  the  "  north  country," 
that  centuries  afterward  began  her  destruction. 

Her  "  waters  were  to  be  dried  up."  It  is  even 
so.  Where  are  her  canals,  her  artificial  lakes, 
her  fountains  ? 

And  yet  "  wild  beasts  of  the  islands  "  were  to 
dwell  there.  It  is  even  so.  The  river  seems  to 
have  changed  its  course,  and  the  most  of  ancient 
Babylon  is  an  uninhabitable  marsh,  where  "  wild 
beasts  of  the  desert,  and  wild  beasts  of  the  islands 
do  dwell." 

"  I  will  make  thee  a  burnt  mountain."  What 
a  striking  description  of  the  lightning-blasted, 
fire-scathed  mountain,  Birs  Nimroud ! 

"It  shall  no  more  be  inhabited  forever." 
Yerily  it  is  so.  It  seems  beyond  the  power  of 
man  to  redeem  the  artificial  desert,  where  wild 
beasts  unmolested  dwell ! 

"  And  they  shall  not  take  of  thee  a  stone  for  a 
corner,  nor  a  stone  for  foundations."  Strange 
indeed !  but  it  is  even  so.  Had  this  been  said 
of  any  other  city,  it  would  have  been  false. 


BABYLON  AND  NINEVEH.       249 

Many  cities  have  been  built  partially  out  of  the 
ruins  of  Nineveh,  and  of  Damascus,  and  of 
others  that  have  fallen;  not  a  palace,  perhaps 
not  a  hut,  out  of  the  ruins  of  Babylon.  Says 
Layard :  "  Scarcely  a  detached  figure  in  stone, 
or  a  solitary  tablet  has  been  dug  out  of  the  vast 
heaps  of  rubbish.  'Babylon  is  fallen,  is  fallen  : 
and  all  the  graven  images  of  her  gods  he  hath 
broken  unto  the  ground.'  "* 

Isaiah  had  lived  a  hundred  years  before 
Nebuchadnezzar,  and  consequently  long  before 
Babylon  had  reached  its  zenith.  It  was  yet  a 
vigorous  and  youthful  city,  like  New- York ;  and 
yet  his  predictions  of  the  fall  and  ruin  yet  to 
come  are  as  exact,  and  accurate,  and  wonderful 
as  those  of  Jeremiah. 

The  reader  can  consult  the  thirteenth,  four- 
teenth, and  forty-fourth  chapters  of  Isaiah. 

The  appositeness  and  accuracy  of  these  pre- 
dictions become  more  evident  when  we  compare 
them  with  the  predictions  made  by  the  Scripture 
prophets  with  reference  to  other  cities. 

There  is  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  Isaiah 

a  "  burden  of  Damascus," — a  woe,  which  the 

prophet  as  a  load  bore,  and  was  commanded  to 

publish  against  that  great  city.    Does  the  prophet 

0  Layard's  Second  Expedition,  abridged,  page  420. 


250  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

speak  of  the  coming  onset  against  it  of  "  nations 
from  the  north  ?"  Does  he  speak  of  "  owls  in- 
habiting it,"  or  "jackals,"  or  "wild  beasts  of 
the  desert,"  or  "  of  the  islands  ?"  Does  he  say 
that  its  "  stones  shall  not  be  used  for  rebuilding 
other  structures?"  Does  he  say,  "It  shall  never 
be  inhabited  ?"  Far  from  it ;  but  simply  this  : 
The  "  kingdom  shall  be  taken  away  from  Da- 
mascus," and  "  it  shall  be  a  ruinous  heap." 

Damascus  has  to-day  a  large  population  ;  but 
long  ago  it  ceased  to  be  an  independent  city  and 
centre  of  a  kingdom  ;  and  the  "  ruins  of  Damas- 
cus" are  known  to  all;  a  great  part  of  it  is  one 
"  ruinous  heap."  Suppose  that  the  prophet  had 
said  of  Damascus  what  he  said  of  Babylon, 
would  it  not  have  demonstrated  the  falsity  of 
prophecy?  But  what  shall  we  say  of  these 
various  prophecies,  all  different,  and  each  accu- 
rately fulfilled  ? 

These  prophecies,  too,  are  minute.  A  brilliant 
English  writer  expresses  a  startling  fancy,  that 
the  time  may  come  when  some  wandering  artist 
may  seat  himself  on  a  broken  arch  of  London 
bridge,  and  sketch  the  ruins  of  St.  Paul's ;  and 
this  conceit  is  considered  wild !  and  he,  too,  has 
the  example  before  him  of  the  destruction  of 
other  great  cities  previously  written.  But  the  old 


BABYLON  AND  NINEVEH.       251 

Hebrew  prophets,  who  had  never  heard  of  the  de- 
struction of  a  large  city,  and  who  had  no  human 
evidence  that  such  a  thing  was  possible,  did  not 
merely  conjecture  it  in  general  terms,  but  men- 
tioned cities,  the  largest  on  earth,  predicted  their 
overthrow,  the  manner  of  their  overthrow,  the 
consequences  of  it,  and  gave  their  reasons,  and 
prefaced  and  concluded  the  whole  with  a  "  Thus 
saith  Jehovah !" 

Ah,  Babylon,  Tyre,  Damascus,  Edom — ye  all 
stand  on  the  record  of  the  world's  history  perpetual 
pictures,  stamped  indelibly  upon  the  canvass  of 
time,  monuments  alike  of  the  folly  of  sin,  and  of 
the  vengeance  and  truth  of  God,  and  of  the  un- 
impeachable veracity  and  superhuman  and  in- 
spired wisdom  of  the  Hebrew  prophets  ! 

Nineveh  has  acquired  new  attractiveness  in 
the  eye  not  only  of  the  antiquarian  and  bibliolo- 
gist,  but  in  all  interested  in  the  ever-increasing 
accumulation  of  evidence  that  "holy  men  of 
old,"  writers  of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  "spake 
as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  The 
researches  of  Layard  have  opened  a  new  page  in 
what  may  be  called  the  paleontology  of  human 
history. 

According  to  Genesis  x,  11,  it  was  originally 
a  colony  of  Babylon,  from  which  it  was  less  than 


252  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

three  hundred  miles  distant,  founded  by  Ashur, 
probably  about  three  thousand  years  before 
Christ.  By  many  its  origin  is  attributed  to 
Nimrod,  the  "  mighty  hunter,"  in  the  third  gen- 
eration from  Noah.  Its  magnificence  was  equal, 
perhaps  superior,  to  that  of  Babylon.  It  was 
sacked  and  much  injured  as  early  as  the  time 
of  Isaiah,  by  the  Babylonians  and  Medes ;  but 
was  not  completely  destroyed  till  the  year  601 
before  Christ,  under  Cyaxares,  a  Mede,  which 
was  one  hundred  years  after  the  fearful  predic- 
tions of  its  overthrow  by  the  Prophet  Nahum. 

We  shall  not  dwell  particularly  upon  these 
and  other  prophecies  of  its  destruction  ;  because, 
though  as  minute  and  as  accurately  accomplished 
as  in  the  case  of  the  other  cities  already  de- 
scribed, the  predictions  are  not  as  remarkable, 
for  one  reason — Nineveh  was  Already  a  waning 
city  when  these  prophets  lived. 

The  chief  matter  of  interest  is  the  remarkable 
attestations  lately  reached  to  the  fidelity  of  the 
descriptions  of  Nineveh,  given  by  the  prophets, 
and  some  exact  confirmations  of  historical  state- 
ments in  the  word  of  God. 

So  perfectly  was  Nineveh  obliterated  from 
human  view  that  Xenophon,  the  Greek  military 
commander  and  historian,  passed  over  its  site 


BABYLON  AND  NINEVEH.       253 

four  hundred  years  before  Christ,  and  saw  no 
traces  of  its  former  existence.  He  simply  gath- 
ered the  traditions  of  the  people  that  this  "  was 
a  deserted  city,  which  in  olden  times  the  Medes 
inhabited." 

There  was  no  reliable  history  of  it,  except 
the  incidental  allusions  to  it  in  the  Bible.  So 
completely  was  it  lost  to  the  world  that  the  fool- 
ish sceptics  of  the  eighteenth  century — in  whom 
one  knows  not  which  most  to  deplore,  their  want 
of  honesty  or  of  common  sense — actually  ridi- 
culed the  Biblical  statements  of  its  grandeur  and 
power.* 

This  city,  whose  constant  population  for  many 
generations  must  have  been  a  million  souls,  was 
"  devoured  with  fire,"f  and  destroyed. 

At  least  two  thousand  five  hundred  years  after 

0  "  The  pretended  empire  of  Assyria  was  not  even  in  exist- 
ence in  the  days  of  Jonah ;  for  it  is  said  that  he  prophesied 
under  the  petty  Jewish  king,  Joash." — Philosophy  of  History, 
Translated  from  the  French  of  M.  L'Abbe  Bazin,  by  H.  W. 
Gandell.  London.  P.  58. 

Again  :  the  same  sapient  simpleton  says,  on  the  next  page : 
"  It  is  said  in  the  Book  of  Jonah  that  there  were  one  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  new-born  infants  (!) ;  this  would  require  a 
population  of  five  millions.  Now  five  millions  of  inhabitants 
in  a  city  not  yet  built  is  a  circumstance  rather  strange  and 
uncommon."  Shade  of  Aristotle,  what  logic  !  How  can  facts 
and  the  Bible  resist  such  infidel  battering-rams? 

f  Nahum  iii,  15. 


254:  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

her  destruction,  her  blackened  and  charred  mon- 
uments, and  some  that  the  flames  had  not  in- 
jured, were  unearthed  by  the  adventurous 
Layard,  and  men  are  permitted  again  to  enter 
the  lion-guarded  palaces  of  Sennacherib,  and 
walk  the  streets  trod  by  the  captive  Jews.  It 
would  be  impossible  to  condense  into  a  few 
sentences  the  substance  of  these  wonderful 
discoveries.  Slabs  of  stone,  forming  parts  of 
huge  edifices,  have  been  removed,  covered  with 
alphabetical  inscriptions  in  an  ancient  cunei- 
form character,  which  have  been  satisfacto- 
rily deciphered,  and  can  be  read.  These 
are  mostly  historical  statements,  chronicles  of 
the  doings  of  the  kings;  and  a  few  striking 
confirmations  of  Scriptural  history  have  been 
made. 

While  opening  the  grand  palace  of  Kouyun- 
jik,*  a  facade,  forming  the  grand  entrance,  ex- 
hibited ten  colossal  bulls,  with  six  human  figures, 
of  gigantic  proportions,  and  the  length  of  the 
whole  was  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet.  Here  was 
found  an  inscription,  containing  one  hundred  and 
fifty-two  lines,  all  of  which  has  been  translated. 
It  is  a  description  of  a  campaign  of  Sennache- 
rib against  the  surrounding  nations  ;  a  part  of 
•  Layard's  Second  Expedition,  abridged,  page  113. 


BABYLON  AND  NINEVEH.       255 

which  is  as  follows :  "  Hezekiah,  Icing  of  Judah, 
who  had  not  submitted  to  my  authority r,  forty- 
six  of  his  principal  cities,  and  fortresses  and 
villages  depending  upon  them,  of  which  I  took  no 
account,  I  captured,  and  carried  away  tJieir  spoil" 

"  The  next  passage,"  says  Layard,  "  is  some- 
what defaced ;  but  the  substance  of  it  appears 
to  be,  that  he  took  from  Hezekiah  the  treasure 
he  had  collected  in  Jerusalem,  thirty  talents  of 
gold  and  eight  hundred  talents  of  silver,  the 
treasures  of  his  palace,  besides  his  sons  and 
daughters,  and  his  male  and  female  servants  or 
slaves,  and  brought  them  all  to  Nineveh." 

Now  turn  to  Second  Kings  xviii,  13,  14,  and 
see  the  same  history  recorded  by  the  Jewish  his- 
torian. It  is  true  that  the  money  then  stolen  by 
Sennacherib  is  stated  to  be  less  than  the  robber 
himself  makes  it :  but  that  is  not  the  only  in- 
stance in  which  a  hero  has  magnified  his  own 
exploits.  How  strange  that  underneath  a  burned 
palace  of  an  old  city  should  have  been  preserved 
this  duplicate  history  of  the  Bible  statement 
twenty-five  hundred  years ! 

Have  we  any  reason  to  doubt  any  statement 
made  in  the  Book  of  Kings  ?  But  indissolubly 
blended  with  that  history  is"  the  truth  of  that 
religion  which  the  Bible  inculcates. 


256  THE    YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

Another  parallelism,  equally  remarkable,  is 
the  following : — 

"  Solomon,"  says  the  inscription  at  Nimroud, 
"reigned  over  the  kingdoms  from  the  river 
unto  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  and  unto  the 
border  of  Egypt:  they  brought  presents,  and 
served  Solomon  all  the  days  of  his  life.  He  had 
dominion  over  all  the  region  on  this  side  of  the 
river,  from  Tipsah  even  unto  the  Azzah,  over  all 
the  kings  on  this  side  the  river."* 

Compare  with  this  First  Kings  iv,  21-24 : 
"  He  reigned  over  all  the  kings  from  the  river 
even  unto  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  and  to  the 
border  of  Egypt."  And  also  Second  Chronicles 
ix,  21-24 :  And  the  kings  "  brought  him  every 
man  his  present,  vessels  of  silver,  and  vessels  of 
gold,  and  raiment,  harness,  and  spices,  horses, 
and  mules,  a  rate  year  by  year." 

Inscriptions  have  been  found  in  the  ruins  of 
Nineveh,  bearing  the  names  and  making  some 
characteristic  mention  of  Jehu,  Omri,  and  Men- 
ahem,  kings  of  Israel;  of  Hazael,  Sargon,  Sen- 
nacherib, Esarhaddon,  kings  of  Syria,  mentioned 
in  the  Bible ;  of  the  gods  Merodach,  !N"ebo,  and 
Dagon,  the  description  of  which  corresponds 
with  that  of  the  Bible ;  of  Judea,  Samaria,  Ash- 

•  Layard's  Second  Expedition,  page  610. 


BABYLON     AND    NINEVEH.  257 

dod,  the  Hittites,  and  forty  other  places  and 
nations,  mentioned  in  the  word  of  God.  Who 
will  dare  to  say,  that  it  was  not  by  the  direct 
providence  of  God  that  these  abundant  and  in- 
valuable testimonials  were  thus  entombed  and 
preserved  three  thousand  years,  and  finally  al- 
lowed to  be  discovered  at  an  appropriate  time, 
just  when  they  could  be  obtained  by  an  adven- 
turous traveller  from  a  Christian  land,  and  not 
suffered  to  be  broken  in  pieces  and  forever  de- 
stroyed? Thankful  should  we  be  that  the  history 
of  the  Bible  is  so  confirmed  that  nothing  short 
of  insanity,  or  of  that  "  incredulity  "  which  Sir 
Walter  Ealeigh  has  aptly  called  "the  wit  of 
fools,"  can  doubt  it. 

17 


258  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 


CHAPTEE  XY. 

SPECIFIC    PREDICTIONS    FULFILLED  IN    JESUS 
CHRIST. 

A  FULL  presentation  of  the  prominent  evidences 
of  Christianity  would  require  an  examination  of 
the  prophecies  that  relate  to  various  nations, 
whose  history  was  connected  with  that  of  the 
Israelites.  The  future  desolation  of  Ammon, 
Moab,  Philistia,  and  the  complete  destruction 
of  Edom  or  Idumea,  were  foretold,  and  have 
been  accomplished,  and  will  repay  careful  study. 

In  this  chapter  we  propose  to  examine  the 
most  important  subject  of  antiquity, — the  pro- 
phetic promises  and  descriptions  of  the  Messiah. 

From  the  foundation  of  the  world  the  great 
plan  of  Jehovah  was,  in  due  time,  to  exhibit  his 
glory  in  the  Messiah  among  men ;  and  the  one 
prominent  character  in  all  the  Bible  is  Christ. 

Before  presenting  particular  predictions,  one 
observation  is  necessary.  The  prophecies  relat- 
ing to  Christ  are  not  found  separate  and  distinct 
in  the  Bible,  but  mingled  with  other  instruction. 


PREDICTIONS     CONCERNING     CHRIST.    259 

This  has  excited  the  surprise  of  some  ;  but  ma- 
ture examination  will  show  the  reasonableness 
and  necessity  of  this  course. 

The  character  of  the  Messiah  was  to  be  so 
astonishing,  that  had  it  been  drawn  out  connect- 
edly beforehand,  it  would  not  have  been  cred- 
ited. Divine  and  human,  God  and  a  servant, 
"  without  beginning  of  days,"  and  "  born  of  a 
virgin,';  the  establisher  of  a  kingdom,  and  put 
to  death  by  wicked  men:  these,  and  other 
seeming  contradictions  in  his  character,  were  too 
astonishing  to  be  presented  prophetically  in  one 
connected  picture;  and  yet,  by  collecting  all 
that  was  said  of  him  by  the  ancient  prophets,  we 
find  such  a  character  foretold. 

Again:  it  was  necessary  that  the  prophetic 
character  of  the  Messiah  should  be  somewhat 
veiled  among  the  Jews,  since  they  themselves 
were  to  be  his  crucifiers ;  they  were  to  reject 
him,  and  as  a  nation  they  were  to  be  rejected. 

And  yet  the  mingling  of  the  prophecies  con- 
cerning Christ  with  other  matter  did  not  wholly 
conceal  them ;  for  the  ancient  Jews  supposed 
that  all  the  scriptures,  not  otherwise  fully  ex- 
plained, invariably  referred  to  the  coming  of 
Christ.  The  scattering  of  the  Messianic  predic- 
tions then  all  along  through  the  inspired  record, 


260  THE    YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

from  the  first  promise  to  Adam  down  to  the 
clearer  statements  of  Malachi,  is  reasonable,  and 
was  demanded  by  the  nature  of  the  divine  plan. 

The  ancient  Jews,  in  taking  a  complete  survey 
of  what  the  prophets  had  written  concerning 
Christ,  supposed  that  there  must  be  two  Mes- 
siahs, for  such  contradictory  statements  could 
not  be  true  of  one  individual ;  but  in  the  person 
of  Jesus  Christ  all  harmonize. 

We  will  group  these  predictions  under  proper 
appellations. 

THE  FORERUNNER. — In  examining  these  pre- 
dictions we  find,  first,  a  messenger,  to  announce 
Christ,  promised  and  described.  Malachi  de- 
scribes this  prophet  in  the  following  words : — 
"  Behold,  I  will  send  my  messenger,  and  he 
shall  prepare  the  way  before  me :  and  the  Lord 
whom  ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  his  tem- 
ple ;  even  the  messenger  of  the  covenant,  whom 
ye  delight  in :  -behold,  he  shall  come,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.  But  who  may  abide  the  day  of 
his  coming?  and  who  shall  stand  when  he  ap- 
peareth  ?  for  he  is  like  a  refiner's  fire  and  like 
fullers  soap.  And  he  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and 
purifier  of  silver ;  and  he  shall  purify  the  sons 
of  Levi,  and  purge  them  as  gold  and  silver,  that 


PREDICTIONS     CONCERNING     CHRIST.    261 

they  may  offer  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in 
righteousness."  Malachi  iii,  1-3. 

There  is  also  a  passage  in  Isaiah,  which  was 
supposed  to  describe  the  forerunner  of  Christ: 
"  The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wilderness, 
Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight 
in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God."  Isa.  xl,  3.* 

These  prophecies  were  fulfilled  four  hundred 
years  after  the  last  was  given,  in  John  the  Bap- 
tist, the  forerunner  of  Christ. 

John  the  Baptist  bore  all"  the  marks  of  a 
prophet.  Like  Elijah,  by  whose  name  he  was 
prophetically  called,  was  he  dressed  ;f  like  him 
he  boldly  reproved  those  in  authority,  and  like 
him  he  was  a  bold  advocate  for  religion  in  the 
most  perilous  times. 

This  John  the  Baptist,  the  forerunner  of  Christ, 
was  thus  promised  centuries  before  he  appeared ; 
and  when  he  came,  so  effective  was  his  preach- 
ing, so  extensive  his  influence,  so  undoubted 
his  piety,  and  so  evident  his  prophetic  character, 
that  vast  multitudes  listened  to  him,  and  were 
baptized  by  him ;  and  he  was  finally  imprisoned 
and  martyred  by  the  monarch,  under  a  pretence 

0  Allix  states  that  Abenezra,  a  Jewish  writer,  who  lived 
in  the  twelfth  century,  understood  this  of  the  forerunner  of 
Christ. 

t  Compare  2  Kings  i,  8,  with  Matthew  iii,  4. 


262  THE    YOUNG     MAN    ADVISED. 

of  anger  at  John's  plain  reproof  of  his  sin,  though 
doubtless  from  envy  at  his  popularity  and  fear 
of  his  rivalry.* 

In  all  this  we  see  a  fulfilment  of  prophecy. 

TIME  OF  HIS  COMING. — The  very  date  of  the 
coming  of  the  Messiah  was  specifically  pointed 
out  by  the  ancient  prophets. 

The  remarkable  prophecy  of  dying  Jacob  to 
his  son  Judah  has  been  already  explained ;  but 
this  is  not  alone  in  the  word  of  God.  Haggai 
prophesied  when  the  Jews  were  rebuilding  their 
temple,f  which  had  been  destroyed  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar. The  second  temple  did  not  equal 
the  former  in  splendour,  and  the  aged  people 
therefore,  perceiving  the  contrast,  wept;  when 
Haggai  uttered  this  prediction :  "  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts,  Yet  once,  it  is  a  little  while,  and 
I  will  shake  the  heavens,  and  the  earth,  and  the 
sea,  and  the  dry  land ;  and  I  will  shake  all  na- 
tions, and  the  Desire  of  all  nations  shall  come: 
and  I  will  fill  this  house  with  glory,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.  The  glory  of  this  latter  house 
shall  be  greater  than  of  the  former,  saith'  the 
Lord  of  hosts;  and  in  this  place  will  I  give 
peace.*'  Haggai  ii,  6-9. 

•  Josephus's  Antiq.,  bk.  xriil,  oh.  T,  §  2.  f  B.  0.  520. 


PREDICTIONS     CONCERNING     CHRIST.    263 

Now  here  is  a  definite  promise  that  the  second 
temple  should  surpass  the  former,  and  that  the 
superiority  should  consist  in  this  particular, — 
"  the  Desire  of  all  nations,"  in  other  words,  the 
Messiah,  should  come  into  that  temple.  But  that 
temple  was  utterly  destroyed  less  than  forty 
years  after  the  crucifixion  of  Christ.*  Christ 
then  was  "  the  Desire  of  all  nations." 

The  prophecy  of  Daniel  is  still  more  minute 
in  pointing  out  the  time  when  Christ  should 
come.  This  prophecy  may  be  found  in  the 
Book  of  Daniel  ix,  24-27. 

Here  the  Messiah  is  spoken  of  by  name,  and 
his  character  is  pointed  out.  He  is  to  "make 
reconciliation  for  iniquity,  and  to  bring  in  ever- 
lasting righteousness.''  He  is  to  be  "cut  off,  but 
not  for  himself,"  and  to  "  confirm  the  covenant 
with  many." 

E"ow  it  is  said  "that  from  the  going  forth  of  the 
commandment  to  restore  and  build  Jerusalem 
unto  Messiah  the  Prince  shall  be  seven  weeks, 
and  threescore  and  two  weeks.  And  after  the 
threescore  and  two  weeks  shall  Messiah  be  cut 
off ;  but  not  for  himself."  That  these  are  weeks 
of  years,  and  not  of  days,  is  evident,  and  ac- 
knowledged by  all.  Weeks  of  years  were  a 
0  A.  D.  70. 


264:  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

common  mode  of  reckoning  time  among  the 
Jews.* 

The  final  decree  to  restore  and  build  Jerusa- 
lem was  given  by  Artaxerxes  to  Nehemiah,  in  the 
twentieth  year  of  his  reign,  f  which  was  just  four 
hundred  and  forty-four  years  before  Christ. 
Daniel  said  that  from  that  time  to  the  Messiah 
should  be  sixty- nine  weeks,  (of  years ;)  in  other 
words,  four  hundred  and  eighty-three  years,  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty  days  each,  which  would 
be  four  hundred  and  seventy-six  real  years,  the 
precise  time  when  Jesus  Christ  was  crucified. 

So  clear  and  undeniable  is  this  prophecy,  that 
it  is  impossible  for  any  careful  reader  not  to 
understand  it :  indeed,  it  is  said  that  many  of  the 
Jews  believe  that  the  true  Messiah  must  have 
been  born  about  this  time,  and  has  kept  himself 
hid  ever  since.J 

PLACE  OF  HIS  COMING. — But  not  only  the  time, 
but  the  very  place  in  which  the  Messiah  should 
first  appear  was  prophetically  designated :  "  But 
thou,  Bethlehem  Ephratah,  though  thou  be  little 
among  the  thousands  of  Judah,  yet  out  of  thee 
shall  he  come  forth  unto  me  that  is  to  be  Ruler 

0  Leviticus  xxv,  8.  f  Nehemiah  ii,  1. 

|  Allix's  Reflections,  part  ii,  chap.  xiiL 


PREDICTIONS     CONCERNING    CHRIST.    265 

in  Israel ;  whose  goings  forth  have  been  from  of 
old,  from  everlasting."  Micah  v,  2. 

This  Bethlehem  Ephratah  was  the  birthplace 
of  David,  and  the  place  of  his  residence  when  he 
was  poor  and  obscure ;  and  it  was  therefore  fit- 
ting that  it  should  be  selected  as  the  birthplace 
of  Christ,  who,  after  the  flesh,  was  to  be  the  Son 
of  David,  and  who,  nevertheless,  was  to  be  for  a 
time  poor  and  obscure.  The  promises  given  to 
David  that  his  throne  was  to  be  perpetual,*  all 
received  their  accomplishment  in  Christ,f  whose 
kingdom  is  everlasting.  The  evangelists  teach 
us  that  Jesus  Christ  was  actually  born  in  Beth- 
lehem of  Judah. 

THE  MANNER  OF  HIS  BIRTH. — It  was  also  ex- 
pressly foretold  that  Christ  should  be  "  born  of  a 
virgin  of  the  house  of  David."  Isaiah  vii,  10-17. 
This  prophecy  was  not  fully  understood,  and 
could  not  be,  till  its  remarkable  fulfilment  in 
the  birth  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 
Thus  also  was  the  first  promise  literally  verified : 
"The  seed  of  the  womcm  shall  bruise  the  ser- 
pent's head." 

Connected  with  this  subject  is  the  character 
given  to  Christ  by  the  prophets.  The  prophets 

*  Psalm  cxxxii,  11-18.  t  Daniel  ii,  44. 


266  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

did  indeed  describe  the  coming  Messiah  as  a 
man.  He  was  to  be  a  prophet  like  Moses  ;*  he 
was  not  to  have  earthly  dignity  ;f  he  was  to  en- 
dure trials  and  want,  and«exhibit  all  the  elements 
of  man. 

His  DIVINITY. — And  yet,  paradoxical  as  it  may 
appear,  the  prophets  described  the  coming  Mes- 
siah as  God:  "His  name  shall  be  called  Im- 
manuel."  Isaiah  vii,  14.  Christ  is  therefore 
"  God  with  us."  Again :  "  For  unto  us  a  child 
is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given :  and  the  govern- 
ment shall  be  upon  his  shoulder :  and  his  name 
shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  The 
mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Father,  The  Prince 
of  Peace." 

To  prove  that  this  prophecy  was  fulfilled  is 
perhaps  impossible ;  but  that  Christ  professed  to 
fulfil  it  is  undoubted.  He  "forgave  sins;"  he 
was  supposed  by  the  Jews  to  "  make .  himself 
equal  with  God,"  and  he  denied  not  the  charge ; 
he  stated  that  "he  and  the  Father  were  one," 
and  whoever  "  had  seen  him,  had  seen  the 
Father;"  and,  finally,  he  was  crucified  upon 
the  charge  of  blasphemy,  justly,  unless  he  was 
indeed  divine. 

0  Deut.  xviii,  18.  f  Isaiah  liii ;  Zeoh.  Ix,  9. 


PREDICTIONS     CONCERNING     CHRIST.    267 

His  COVENANT  WITH  MAN. — It  was  also  foretold 
that  he  should  promulgate  a  new  religion,  or  at 
least  establish  a  new  relation  between  God  and 
man.  This  covenant  is  foretold  by  Isaiah  xlix, 
8,  9;  Iv,  3,  4;  Ixi,  8,  9:  also  by  Jeremiah 
xxxi,  31-36.  The  prophets  expressly  foretold 
that  this  covenant  was  to  be  spiritual,  that 
priesthood  and  sacrifices  were  to  be  done  away, 
and  that  the  Gentiles  were  to  be  admitted  on 
equal  terms  with  the  children  of  Israel.* 

The  fulfilment  of  these  predictions  is  seen  in 
the  impartiality  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  which 
is  "good  news  unto  all  men;"  and  extending 
the  boon  of  religious  hope,  and  joy,  and  eternal 
life  to  all  who  will  receive  it ;  and  in  the  deeper 
devotion  and  higher  spiritual  insight  it  offers  to 
its  votaries. 

His  DEATH. — It  was  also  foretold  that  he  would 
be  put  to  death.  The  twenty-second  and  sixty- 
ninth  Psalms  have  ever  been  considered  as 
prophetic  of  the  trials  of  the  Messiah.  The 
fifty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah  is  the  most  wonder- 
ful prophetic  composition  in  the  world!  The 
prophet,  seven  hundred  years  before  the  Messiah 

0  See  Isaiah  xi,  10;  Ix,  3-6:  Zeph.  ii,  11 ;  iii,  9,  10,  &c. : 
MalacM  i,  10,  11. 


268  THE     YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

came,  describes  him  with  a  minuteness,  and  an 
exactness,  and  an  energy,  which  are  seldom 
equalled  even  in  a  historian;  and  his  descrip- 
tion every  unprejudiced  person  must  perceive 
could  apply  to  but  one  character  in  the  universe, 
namely,  Jesus  Christ.  In  this  prophetic  descrip- 
tion, brief  as  it  is,  we  distinctly  perceive  Christy 
his  humility  and  meekness;  the  fewness  of  his 
adherents  at  first,  their  multitude  afterward ;  his 
shame,  and  reproach,  and  rejection,  and  violent 
death;  his  atonement  or  suffering  for  others, 
and  his  burial  with  the  rich ;  his  subsequent 
triumph,  which  can  only  be  understood  on  the 
principle  of  his  resurrection,  and  his  everlasting 
glory.  Indeed,  in  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  may 
be  found  a  complete  portrayal  of  the  character 
of  Jesus  Christ,  the  true  Messiah.  We  do  verily 
believe  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  person  candidly 
to  read  them — comparing  them  with  the  rela- 
tions of  the  four  evangelists — without  astonish- 
ment, and  an  acknowledgment  of  a  superhuman 
vision  in  their  writer.  It  was  these  that  caused 
Sir  William  Jones,  that  scholar  perhaps  never 
surpassed  in  a  critical  knowledge  of  languages, 
and  a  man  also  of  sound  judgment,  to  exclaim, 
"I,  who  cannot  help  believing  the  divinity  of 
the  Messiah,  from  the  undisputed  antiquity  and 


PREDICTIONS     CONCERNING    CHRIST.    269 

manifest  completion  of  many  prophecies,  espec- 
ially of  those  of  Isaiah,  in  the  only  person  re- 
corded by  history  to  whom  they  are  applicable, 
am  obliged  of  course  to  believe  the  sanctity  of 
the  venerable  books  to  which  that  sacred  person 
refers,  as  genuine."* 

These  prophecies  have  proved  the  sheet-anchor 
of  the  Bible  to  many  other  minds.  They  lie 
open  for  constant  examination,  and  he  who  ex- 
plores them  will  bid  farewell  to  doubt. 

In  the  ancient  Scriptures  we  find  all  the  par- 
ticulars of  Christ's  death  pointed  out  in  various 
passages,  which,  from  their  connexions,  must 
refer  to  Christ,  and  were  so  understood  by  the 
most  ancient  commentators  among  the  Jews. 

We  have  not  exhausted  the  subject;  but 
simply  directed  the  attention  to  some  of  the 
most  prominent  predictions  in  holy  writ.  As 
the  spiritual  sight  is  strengthened,  many  new 
and,  at  first,  occult  references  to  Christ  appear ; 
and  indeed  there  is  nothing  that  more  astonishes 
and  delights  the  advancing  and  maturing  Chris- 
tian than  to  see  how  all  the  Scriptures  depend 
upon,  and  exhibit,  and  glorify  Christ.  He  is 
really  the  subject  of  every  writer,  the  object  of. 
every  type,  the  substance  of  every  shadow,  the 

0  Asiatic  Researches,  vol.  i,  p.  225. 


270  THE    YOTJNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

great  Redeemer  by  all  prefigured.  The  man 
but  little  acquainted  is  astonished  when  he 
meets  with  a  few  palpable  predictions  of  Christ ; 
but  if,  through  faith  in  that  Saviour,  he  becomes 
his  follower,  and  learns  of  him,  he  will  find,  as 
often  as  he  peruses  the  sacred  record,  new 
gleams  of  light,  marks  of  prescience  and  adapta- 
tion, to  point  out  the  Messiah,  and  confirm  faith 
in  him,  which  he  had  overlooked  before,  and 
which  escape  the  notice  of  all  but  the  experi- 
enced and  the  careful. 

• 

"We  have  now  brought  our  brief  survey  of  the 
Old  Testament  to  a  close,  and  would  invite  your 
attention  to  a  brief  recapitulation  of  the  thoughts 
presented. 

We  first  examined  the  Mosaic  account  of  the 
creation,  and  pronounced  it  reasonable,  and  yet 
above  the  reach  of  reason ;  and  found  it  amply 
confirmed  by  human  investigation,  so  far  as  that 
investigation  has  extended. 

The  Scriptural  account  of  the  deluge  is  so 
fully  attested  that  it  requires  a  fool-hardy  in- 
credulity to  deny  it ;  and  the  common  origin  of 
man  is  a  subject  upon  which  the  deductions  of 
reason,  researches  into  language,  and  the  con- 
clusions of  natural  philosophy,  all  coincide  with 


PREDICTIONS    CONCERNING    CHRIST.    271 

the  word  of  God.  The  dispersion  of  tongues  at 
Babel  next  claimed  our  attention ;  and  the  de- 
struction of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  we  find  writ- 
ten upon  the  very  earth  where  they  once  stood, 
as  well  as  preserved  in  the  memory  of  men. 
The  call  of  Abraham  we  found  instructive,  rea- 
sonable, and  well  attested,  together  with  the  ac- 
count of  his  life,  and  that  of  his  descendants, 
Isaac,  Jacob,  and  Joseph.  The  remarkable  au- 
thentications of  their  history,  lately  deciphered 
from  Egyptian  hieroglyphics,  cannot  soon  be  for- 
gotten. The  prophecies  of  dying  Jacob  furnish 
a  bright  picture  which  throws  its  light  down 
through  two  thousand  years.  The  mission  of 
Moses,  and  the  wonderful  miracles  of  Egypt, 
the  Mosaic  law  and  ceremonies,  and  his  remark- 
able prophecies  about  the  Israelites,  which  have 
been  gradually  exhibiting  their  fulfilment  for 
three  thousand  years,  do  most  triumphantly 
attest  that  Moses  revealed  only  the  will  of  God. 
We  then  examined  the  commission  of  Moses  to 
destroy  the  Canaanites,  and  lastly  presented  a 
brief  view  of  the  grand  object  of  the  Bible. 
This  we  pronounced  to  be  to  reveal  his  own 
character,  the  true  condition  of  man,  and  the 
appointed  way  of  salvation  through  Jesus 
Christ. 


272  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

"We  have  now  shown  the  prophetic  character 
of  Christ :  the  part  that  remains  for  us  is  more 
pleasant,  and,  we  hope,  will  be  more  profitable. 
The  darkness  which  had  so  long  been  deepening, 
was  about  to  be  dispelled ;  and  hereafter  it  will 
be  our  privilege  to  present  the  revelation  of 
gospel  day,  the  light  which  lighteneth  every 
man. 

But  we  cannot  close  our  remarks  upon  the 
Old  Testament  without  an  expression  of  grati- 
tude to  God  for  such  a  collection  of  sacred 
writings;  that  ever  he  raised  up  such  a  long 
line  of  messengers  to  declare  his  will,  and  to 
transmit  by  writing  to  the  world  information 
that  could  not  be  spared  without  incalculable 
loss ;  and  that  the  Bible  was  preserved  through 
such  long  and  tumultuous  ages.  Dynasties  have 
perished,  but  these  words,  as  though  written  on 
the  sky,  remain.  The  monuments  of  stone  which 
they  speak  of  have  disappeared — even  many  of 
the  mighty  cities  they  describe  are  utterly  lost ; 
but  copies  of  these  frail  parchments  survive,  and 
are  printed  in  nearly  every  tongue,  and  dis- 
tributed by  thousands  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
The  Ten  Commandments  which  Moses  received, 
stamped  upon  the  stone,  shall  yet  be  repeated  in 
every  tongue,  and  exhibited  in  writing  to  every 


PREDICTIONS    CONCERNING    CHRIST.    273 

eye.  The  internal  evidence  of  the  divine  origin 
of  these  holy  books,  the  Old  Testament,  together 
with  the  external  evidence,  written  upon  the 
whole  world  and  upon  all  ages,  now  demands 
the  hearty  thanksgiving  of  every  worshipper  of 

the  true  God. 

18 


274  THE    YOUNG     MAN    ADVISED. 


CHAPTEK  XVI. 

PERSONAL  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST. 

AFTER  the  prophecies  of  Malachi,  the  last  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  Jews 
continued  to  preserve  their  distinct  national  cus- 
toms and  religion,  and  to  foster  their  long-cher- 
ished hope  -of  a  coming  Messiah.  They  scrupu- 
lously adhered  to  the  letter  of  their  law — in 
several  instances  yielding  to  their  enemies  rather 
than  to  fight  on  the  Sabbath.  Successively  they 
paid  tribute  to  the  Persians,  Egyptians,  Syrians, 
and  Romans,  though  for  more  than  a  century 
nominally  independent.  They  were  widely  scat- 
tered among  the  nations ;  thus  imbuing  the 
world  with  their  own  hope  of  a  Messiah. 

In  these  days  came  a  remarkable  religious 
teacher,  called  John  the  Baptist.  There  were 
rumours  among  the  people  of  some  supernatural 
demonstrations  attendant  upon  his  birth ;  and 
showing  himself  in  the  garb  of  the  old  prophets, 
and  being  a  man  of  unblemished  character,  his 
preaching  attracted  great  attention.  The  sub- 


PERSONAL    CHARACTER    OF    CHRIST.     275 

stance  of  his  doctrine  was,  that  the  Messiah  was 
near  at  hand,  that  his  kingdom  would  be  of  a 
spiritual  character,  and  that  a  genuine  and  radi- 
cal reform  was  necessary  to  prepare  for  his 
coming  kingdom.  The  nation  would  not  have 
been  so  aroused,  had  they  not  been  prepared 
for  excitement — they  were  universally  expecting 
the  Christ.  Multitudes  were  baptized,  profess- 
ing their  confidence  in  John,  and  their  determin- 
ation to  be  ready  for  the  Christ.  Then  arose 
Jesus,  openly  and  freely  acknowledged  to  be  the 
Messiah  by  John  the  Baptist. 

"We  propose  now  to  examine  briefly  the  his- 
tory of  Jesus  Christ,  as  given  by  the  evangelists. 

The  history  of  no  personage  that  has  ever  been 
seen  among  men,  is  better  attested  than  that 
of  Jesus.  We  have  four  separate  lives  of  the 
Saviour,  embracing  descriptions  of  his  teachings 
and  of  his  death.  We  have  references  made 
to  these  books  by  writers  who  immediately  fol- 
lowed them,  and  by  their  successors,  down  to 
the  present  time.  We  have  millions  of  human 
beings — and  there  has  been  no  time  within  a 
century  of  the  date  of  the  death. of  Christ  when 
there  were  not  thus  millions  of  human  beings — 
professing  to  trust  in  Jesus  Christ  for  their  sal- 
vation. We  have  historical  monuments  without 


276  THE    YOUNG     MAN     ADVISED. 

number,  and  we  have  customs  and  usages, 
especially  baptism  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and 
the  so-called  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper, 
which  could  have  had  their  origin  only  in  the 
history  of  Jesus,  who  was  called  the  Christ. 

It  will  aid  our  purpose  to  examine  briefly  the 
character  of  the  four  men  who  narrated  the  life 
of  Jesus. 

Matthew,  from  his  own  authority,  seems  to 
have  been  a  tax-collector  in  Capernaum,  till  he 
was  invited  to  become  a  personal  attendant  upon 
the  Saviour.  It  is  thought  by  many  that  he 
wrote  originally  in  the  Hebrew  language,  and 
that  his  book  was  subsequently  translated  into 
Greek.  He  evidently  wrote  for  his  own  coun- 
trymen, the  Jews,  and  from  personal  observa- 
tion. 

Mark  had  been  an  attendant  upon  one  of  the 
Saviour's  immediate  disciples,  the  apostle  Peter ; 
and  it  is  supposed  wrote  his  Gospel  from  the  re- 
lation of  Peter. 

Luke  was  born  at  Antioch,  and  was  probably 
a  Grecian  freedman,  who  had  been  emancipated 
from  slavery,  perhaps  on  account  of  some  ex- 
traordinary talent;  had  applied  himself  to  the 
study  of  medicine,  was  styled  a  physician,  and- 
finally  spent  much  of  his  time  in  travelling  with 


PERSONAL     CHARACTER     OF    CHRIST.    277 

the  apostle  Paul.  Whether  he  was  a  preacher  is 
doubtful ;  but  he  took  especial  pains  to  converse 
with  all  whom  he  met  that  had  seen  and  heard 
Christ;  and  from  their  relations,  and  from 
various  writings  that  had  appeared  he  compiled, 
rather  than  composed,  his  Gospel. 

John  was  the  beloved  disciple  of  Jesus,  his 
faithful  attendant,  and  adoring  friend.  This  will 
account  for  the  minuteness  of  his  history,  es- 
pecially upon  those  parts  slightly  referred  to,  or 
wholly  omitted  by  the  others. 

Observe  now,  first,  the  unaffected  simplicity  of 
these  four  writers.  There  is  no  striving  for  effect, 
no  bombast,  no  elegantly-rounded  period,  no 
striking  antithesis,  no  ornament  nor  effort  to  gain 
applause.  Compare  these  productions  with  any 
specimens  of  literature,  ancient  or  modern,  and 
observe  the  striking  contrast  in  this  respect. 

Observe,  secondly,  that  these  authors  never 
praise  Christ ;  they  use  no  commendatory  terms. 
You  see  nothing  of  such  exclamations  as  these  : 
"What  wondrous  wisdom  did  he  thus  display!" 
"How  he  circumvented  his  enemies!"  "  What 
an  astonishing  miracle!"  "How  simple  and 
severe !"  Not  a  word  of  it.  They  simply  relate 
what  he  did  and  said,  and  what  was  said  and 
done  to  him,  and  leave  the  facts  to  make  their 


278  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

own  impression.  There  is  not  one  other  so  sim- 
ple and  passionless  a  record  in  the  world.  We 
have  never  read  the  life  of  a  good  man  in  which 
the  writer  did  not  laud,  sometimes  extravagantly, 
the  subject  of  his  memoirs. 

Observe,  again,  that  these  writers  have  left 
several  apparent  contradictions,  one  to  another, 
in  their  narratives.  We  call  them  apparent 
contradictions,  for  they  are  not  real.  They  arise 
from  the  omission  of  some  circumstances,  and 
the  relation  of  others,  as  will  always  occur  when 
a  narrative,  covering  a  long  time,  is  given  by 
independent  witnesses.  For  instance,  Matthew 
says,  that  when  Jesus  was  crucified,  the  Jews 
had  written  over  his  head  on  the  cross,  This  is 
Jesus,  tJie  King  of  the  Jews.  Mark  says  the 
writing  was,  The  King' of  the  Jews.  But  Luke 
has  it  still  different.  This  is  the  King  of  the 
Jews.  And  John  has  it  different  from  all,  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews. 

This  shows  without  question  that  the  four  writ- 
ers made  no  effort  to  hat*monize  their  different 
relations,  for  they  certainly  would  not  have  over- 
looked so  obvious  a  disagreement.  But  it  does 
not  show  that  either  was  wrong.  The  inscrip- 
tion was  in  three  different  languages,  and  the 
evangelists  may  have  translated  different  inscrip- 


PERSONAL     CHARACTER     OF    CHRIST.    279 

tions,  no  two  translating  any  sentence  exactly 
alike ;  and  the  original  inscription  undoubtedly 
contained  all  found  in  the  four  given  to  us.  Yet 
this  variation  does  intimate  that  they  had  no  col- 
lusion with  each  other. 

Another  similar  instance  is  the  following : 
Mark  says  that  Jesus  was  crucified  at  the  third 
hour  in  the  morning,  or  about  nine  o'clock. 
John  says  it  occurred  at  the  sixth  hour,  that  is, 
at  twelve  o'clock,  at  noon.  How  evident  is  the 
absence  of  all  attempt  to  harmonize!  The  fact 
must  be  that  the  whole  event  of  the  crucifixion 
consumed  hours.  Neither  one  of  the  writers 
professes  to  be  accurate  in  his  reference  to  time, 
and  it  may  have  been  the  third  hour  when  Jesus 
was  suspended  on  the  cross,  and  the  sixth  when 
he  exclaimed,  "It  is  finished  !"  and  gave  up  th« 
ghost. 

Observe,  too,  in  the  fourth  place,  that  these 
writers  take  no  pains  to  give  a  favourable  colour- 
ing to  the  matters  which  they  relate.  "Whenever 
a  disciple  exhibits  wrong  passion,  they  relate  it 
just  as  artlessly  as  though  it  was  worthy  of 
praise.  That  was  a  foolish  dispute  among  the 
disciples,  which  should  be  the  greatest.  It  ex- 
hibited a  feeling,  and  betrayed  an  ignorance,  of 
which  afterward,  but  previous  to  the  writing 


280  THE    YOUNG    MAN   ADVISED. 

of  the  Gospel,  they  must  have  been  heartily 
ashamed ;  yet  it  seems  never  to  have  entered 
into  their  minds  not  to  relate  it.  They  had  un- 
dertaken to  write  the  life  of  Christ,  and  were 
bound  to  present  all  they  could  remember  that 
seemed  of  importance.  That  sudden  ebullition 
of  anger  that  James  and  John  manifested  when 
they  wished  to  call  fire  down  from  heaven  to 
burn  a  poor  Samaritan's  house,  because  he  would 
not  hospitably  entertain  Jesus,  was  a  similar  in- 
stance. 

It  would  not,  to  a  casual  reader,  seem  credita- 
ble to  Jesus,  that  for  a  long  time  many  of  his 
relatives  did  not  acknowledge  his  Messiahship, 
yet  we  find  his  admirer,  John,  explicitly  stating 
that  fact. 

Again,  observe  what  a  mild  and  dispassionate 
spirit  these  evangelists  exhibit,  when  describing 
what  they  evidently  believe  to  be  the  most  thrill- 
ing and  stupendous  ^vent  that  ever  occurred  in 
the  universe  of  God.  The  Son  of  God  was  put 
to  death,  shamefully  crucified  by  a  mob ;  and 
yet  the  writers  exhibit  no  indignation.  They  do 
not  even  colour  the  narrative ;  the  story  flows 
artlessly  on.  If  an  intimate  friend  of  any  man, 
left  to  express  his  feelings  without  supernatural, 
or,  at  least,  extraordinary  control,  were  seized 


PERSONAL  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST.  281 

by  a  mob  and  murdered,  he  would  -certainly 
express,  in  some  suitable  and  violent  terms,  his 
indignation;  but  we  look  in  vain  for  such  an 
expression  in  either  of  the  Gospels.  And  yet 
the  simplicity,  the  artlessness,  the  truthfulness, 
the  truth  of  the  history  of  Jesus,  no  sane  man 
can  deny.  There  is  no  other  book  in  the  world 
so  wonderful  as  either  of  the  Gospels!  Had 
there  been  but  one,  it  were  a  prodigy  ;  but  four 
such  is  a  miracle  !  God  raised  up  the  evangel- 
ists, and  qualified  them.  He  guided  the  pens 
that  wrote  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Let  us  examine  now  the  character  of  the 
great  Founder  of  Christianity.  You  seek  in 
vain  in  these  artless,  candid  records  for  one 
action,  or  word,  or  thought  of  Jesus,  that,  tested 
by  the  strictest  standard  of  morality, — even  his 
own, — was  in  any  degree  wrong.  So  remarkable 
is  the  portraiture  of  his  character  that  we  long 
for  more.  We  are  compelled  to  exclaim,  "What 
a  childhood  must  his  have  been!  What  a 
youth !  A  youth  that  was  never  passionate ; 
a  mechanic  that  laboured  with  others,  but  never 
yielded  to  evil  example ;  a  prophet,  a  teacher  of 
religion,  the  Messiah!  And  this  immaculate 
purity,  too,  was  put  to  the  test.  He  was  ridi- 
culed, persecuted,  subjected  to  hunger,  and 


282  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

thirst,  and  poverty;  but  never  sinned.  His 
disciples  did  not  comprehend  him ;  the  scribes 
and  Pharisees  purposely  attacked  him.  He 
mingled  with  all  classes ;  he  attended  weddings, 
funerals,  feastings,  and  religious  celebrations: 
he  ate  with  publicans  and  sinners ;  he  gave  in- 
struction in  a  most  authoritative  manner;  he 
rebuked  the  rich  and  the  powerful ;  he  censured 
the  vicious;  he  took  himself  away  from  a  mob 
that  wished  to  proclaim  him  a  king,  and  again 
from  another  that  wished  to  cast  him  headlong 
down  a  precipice :  and  under  all  these  circum- 
stances he  never  uttered  one  hasty  word,  nor 
committed  a  single  erroneous  action. 

But  not  only  was  nothing  evil  found  in  this 
man,  but  every  good  trait  of  humanity  was  ex- 
hibited by  him.  He  was  industrious :  his  pub- 
lic life  comprehended  only  three  years,  and  of 
that  time  not  a  day  could  have  been  lost.  He 
was  benevolent:  he  soothed  the  afflicted;  he 
wept  with  the  bereaved ;  he  comforted  the  dis- 
consolate; he  spoke  kindly  to  all  but  the  im- 
penitent wicked,  and  them  he  exhorted  to 
repent.  He  often  spent  whole  nights  in  prayer, 
and  that  too  when  none  but  his  disciples 
knew  it. 

He  seems  to  have  been  bent  on  the  accom- 


PERSONAL    CHARACTER     OF    CHRIST.    283 

plishrnent  of  one  object — to  benefit  the  whole 
family  of  man.  Judea  was  not  the  limit  of  his 
desires.  National  distinctions  he  disregarded ; 
he  owned  every  man  as  a  brother,  every  woman 
as  a  sister,  and  desired  to  promote  the  true  wel- 
fare of  all. 

It  is  also  a  most  remarkable  fact  that  he  was 
never  mistaken.  He  expressed  his  views  on  a 
great  variety  of  subjects, — time  has  not  betrayed 
a  single  error.  -  He  lived  in  an  ignorant,  super- 
stitious age,  among  a  sordid,  weak,  wicked, 
cruel,  and  hypocritical  people,  who  had  over- 
loaded and  destroyed  the  teachings  of  a  wiser 
age  by  puerile  ceremonies  and  vain  traditions. 
Jesus  never  partook  of  their  spirit,  but  uttered, 
with  unparalleled  simplicity  and  point,  plain, 
practical  instruction ;  the  wisdom  of  which  could 
not  have  been  gleaned  from  the  whole  world's 
philosophers,  and  the  purity  and  truth  of  which 
all  men,  both  friends  and  foes,  acknowledge  to 
be  both  faultless  and  sublime.  Every  moralist 
and  statesman  will  confess  that  if  the  instructions 
of  Jesus  were  truly  and  thoroughly  obeyed  by 
any  nation,  large  or  small,  uninterrupted  national 
prosperity  would  follow ;  and  it  is  the  belief  of 
the  profoundest  investigators  and  political  econo- 
mists that  universal,  practical  Christianity  would 


284 


THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 


solve  the  knottiest  problems  of  state  policy, 
remove  those  inveterate  evils  which  seem  to 
defy  all  human  efforts  to  destroy  them,  and 
render,  if  anything  can,  this  earth  .an  abode  of 
purity  and  peace.  Never  would  another  gun 
be  fired  in  war ;  never  another  sword  or  bayonet 
sheathed  in  human  flesh ;  never  another  crimi- 
nal executed,  or  even  imprisoned ;  never  another 
penitentiary  or  house  of  correction  erected: 
"  the  lion  would  lie  down  by  the  side  of  the 
kid,  and  the  little  child  play  upon  the  hole  of 
the  asp." 

Let  us  consider  now  the  circumstances  of  his 
death.  Though  crucified  by  a  mob,  he  was  pre- 
viously subjected  to  a  kind  of  legal  examination. 
He  had  in  fact  a  formal  trial.  Now  Jesus  might 
have  been  liberated  at  that  trial,  had  he  chosen 
to  be.  Pilate,  the  judge,  was  strongly  prepos- 
sessed in  his  favour.  The  word  of  a  Roman 
judge,  on  all  matters  not  expressly  decided  by 
statute  or  precedent,  was  law,  from  which  there 
was  no  appeal.  The  soldiery  was  under  the 
control  of  Pilate.  Had  he  said,  Jesus  shall  be 
freed,  not  a  Jew,  however  furious  a  few  moments 
before,  would  have  dared  to  open  his  mouth. 
And  Pilate  wished  to  release  the  prisoner.  And 
to  add  to  his  own  inclination,  Pilate's  own  wife 


PERSONAL    CHARACTER    OF    CHRIST.     285 

sent  to  him  when  on  the  judgment-seat,  saying, 
"Have  thou  nothing  to  do  with  that  just  man; 
for  I  have  suffered  many  things  this  day  in  a 
dream  because  of  him."  Why  then  was  Jesus 
condemned,  or  rather  consigned  over  to  the  fury 
of  a  mob  ?  It  was  because  he  Himself  breathed 
not  a  syllable  in  his  own  defence.  He  would 
not  even  reply  to  Pilate's  inquiries ;  he  had  no 
wish  to  escape  the  fate  of  the  cross. 

And  this,  too,  observe,  not  from  a  species  of 
human  hardihood — for  the  very  night  before  he 
wept  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  as  seldom, 
perhaps  never,  man  wept.  That  agony,  what- 
ever else  it  shows,  and  whatever  other  deep 
spiritual  import  it  has,  does  certainly  show 
that  Jesus  had  no  desire  for  a  crucifixion.  But 
he  was  not  liberated,  simply  because  he  did  not 
choose  to  be. 

In  consideration  of  these  facts,  what  must  we 
think  of  Christ  ?  Had  we  his  life  alone,  without 
the  Old  Testament  to  prepare  for  it,  without  the 
New  Testament  to  explain  it,  it  would  be  a 
mystery  unfathomable,  insoluble,  paralleled 
only  by  what  would  then  be  the  other  infinite 
mystery, — a  universe  without  an  object,  man 
without  a  religion,  God  without  a  revealer,  and 
the  sublimest  human  life  a  farce  and  a  dream. 


THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

How  absurd  it  is  to  consider  any  object  in  the 
universe,  or  any  fact  in  history,  alone!  It  is 
only  a  narrow-minded  man  that  does  it ;  and 
this  practice  has  been  the  source  of  more  ex- 
travagance, and  absurdity,  and  controversy,  and 
feuds,  as  well  as  cold  scepticism,  and  arrant  infi- 
delity, than  any  other  mental  habit.  There  is 
not  a  fact  in  history  which  would  not  appear 
absurd,  seen  without  its  proper  connexions ; 
there  is  not  an  object  in  nature  which  would  ap- 
pear fit  and  beautiful,  if  seen  alone.  A  single 
feature  of  the  Apollo  Belvidere  would  be  but  a 
lump  of  marble,  and  the  self-devotion  of  a  Leoni- 
das  would  be  a  silly  suicide. 

A  modern  government  has  expended  more 
than  a  million  of  dollars  in  erecting  a  small  stone 
cottage,  not  capable  of  accommodating  a  dozen 
persons,  on  a  little  rocky  island,  almost  inacces- 
sible. How  absurd  it  seems !  But  that  little 
stone  structure  is  a  light-house  !  to  bear  aloft  the 
ever-burning  signal  of  danger,  or,  rather,  of 
safety,  by  which  thousands  of  lives  and  many 
millions  of  dollars  are  annually  saved.  The 
object  and  effect  render  the  otherwise  absurd 
structure  sublime. 

Thus  should  the  life  of  Christ  be  studied,  and 
thus  his  resurrection.  And  thus  should  the  whole 


PERSONAL    CHARACTER    OF    CHRIST.      287 

Bible  be  studied.  It  is  harmonious  throughout, 
and  it  makes  the  universe  harmonious,  and  every 
part  becomes  beautiful,  when  considered  in  its 
proper  light. 

The  creation  of  man,  the  great  deluge,  the 
early  judgments  of  God  upon  the  human  race, 
the  singular  revelations  through  the  prophets  of 
the  Israelites,  the  life  of  Christ,  his  doctrines, 
his  resurrection  from  the  dead,  the  success  of 
the  Church,  and  its  great  enterprise  yet  to  be 
accomplished,  should  all  be  considered  together, 
in  one  perfect,  harmonious  picture ;  when  it  will 
be  found  that  those  difficulties  which  have  ex- 
ercised the  ingenuity  of  feeble  minds,  filled 
the  world  with  controversy,  and  awakened  the 
silly  ridicule  of  sophistical  sceptics,  are  like  the 
granular  defects  in  the  marble  of  an  exquisite 
statue — pointed  out  by  insect  critics,  utterly 
incapable  of  admiring  or  even  grasping  in  one 
view  the  whole. 

It  shall  yet  be  seen  that  the  ever-moving 
streams  of  history,  like  the  streams  of  earth,  are 
controlled  by  one  power,  more  inexorable  than 
gravitation,  and  shall  meet  at  last  in  a  deep, 
broad  sea  of  beauty,  when  the  banner  of  Chris- 
tianity shall  wave  over  the  world.  Then  history 
shall  be  seen  to  be  a  record  of  experiments  a 


288  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

store-house  of  facts,  a  stupendous  exhibition  of 
God's  wisdom,  power,  justice,  and  love.  Then 
it  shall  be  universally  known  that  Christ  made 
the  world,  redeemed  the  world,  dignified  it  and 
consecrated  it  by  his  presence  and  death,  and 
has  finally  judged  it  and  pronounced  upon  it  its 
eternal  destiny. 


ST.     PAUL.  289 


CHAPTEK  XVII. 

THE  OPENNESS  OF  THE  FACTS  OF  CHRISTIANITY   ILLUS- 
TRATED BY  THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  PAUL. 

ONE  of  the  most  remarkable  facts  in  the  early 
history  of  Christianity  was  the  conversion  of  the 
great  advocate  of  the  faith,  the  apostle  Paul. 
On  one  occasion,  he  himself  defends  Christianity 
by  an  argument  which  we  wish  to  adduce :  it  is 
when  put  upon  trial  before  Festus  and  Agrippa. 
After  a  pathetic  reference  to  his  early  history, 
and  to  the  violence  of  which  he  had  been  guilty 
against  Christians,  he  relates  in  detail  his  own 
singular  conversion,  and  then  makes  a  home  ap- 
peal to  Agrippa  for  the  truthfulness  of  his  ac- 
count. He  defies  all  denial  or  controversy; 
for,  said  he,  "these  things  were  not  done  in  a 
corner."  Now,  this  is  a  general  and  very  strong 
argument,  which  might  be  greatly  elaborated; 
but  we  must  content  ourselves  with  a  brief 
illustration  of  it.  The  point  claiming  our  atten- 
tion is  the  fact  by  which  Paul  knew  that  King 
Agrippa  was  or  ought  to  have  been  convinced 
19 


290  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

of  the  truth  of  Christianity,  namely,  that  all  the 
history  confirming  its  truth  was  "  not  done  in  a 
corner."  The  subject  of  the  chapter  may  thus 
be  stated: — The  openness  and  publicity  of  the 
facts  of  Christianity  prove  it  to  be  a  divine  work, 
claiming  the  belief  and  the  obedience  of  all  the 
world. 

The  Bible  was  not  written  like  the  Koran,  by 
one  man ;  it  does  not  claim  to  have  been  con- 
cocted in  secret,  and  intrusted  to  one  person, 
assuming  to  relate  facts  that  nobody  saw,  and 
presenting  no  evidence  of  divinity  except  the 
assertion  of  a  single  person,  who  by  that  assertion 
obtains  great  authority,  and  wealth,  and  power 
to  himself ;  but  it  is  a  book  made  up  of  facts, 
that  in  the  clear,  open  sunlight  stretch  over  the 
history  of  more  than  two  thousand  years,  written 
by  more  than  a  score  of  writers,  living  in  differ- 
ent lands,  under  different  governments,  subject 
to  different  influences,  using  different  dialects ; 
and  so  far  from  obtaining  influence  and  honour 
among  men  for  their  writings,  they  were  hated, 
persecuted,  imprisoned,  scourged,  stoned,  tor- 
tured, crucified,  and  beheaded. 

The  man  who  would  refer  to  the  Shasters  of 
the  Brahmins,  or  to  the  Koran  of  Mohammed,  or 
to  the  Mormon  novel  of  Joe  Smith,  as  a  rival  to 


ST.     PAUL.  291 

the  Bible,  is  either  a  knave  or  a  simpleton. 
Such  stupidity  deserves  no  forbearance,  and  the 
language  characterizing  it  is  not  severe. 

The  Koran  of  Mohammed  purports  to  have 
been  presented  complete  and  entire  to  him  from 
heaven:  the  fact  must  be  that  either  he  wrote 
it,  or  some  other  one  man  wrote  it,  and  presented 
it  to  him :  it  is  uniform  in  style  throughout ;  it 
contains  not  the  statement  of  one  contemporary 
fact ;  it  has  no  prophecy  fulfilled ;  it  is  a  mere 
collection  of  metaphysical  and  supernatural  asser- 
tions that  no  one  ever  can  bring  to  the  test  in  this 
world,  garnished  by  perverted  quotations  from 
the  Bible ;  and  it  must  be  received  altogether 
upon  the  authority  of  one  man,  Mohammed,  who 
SOA/S  that  it  was  given  to  him  from  heaven.  But 
then,  the  suspicious  circumstances  about  his  tes- 
timony are,  that  nobody  saw  him  receive  it,  that 
he  is  to  be  greatly  honoured  and  benefitted  by 
its  reception,  that  he  works  no  miracle  to  con- 
firm it,  and  does  not  appear  any  different  from 
other  men ;  and  still  further,  he  promises  all  who 
receive  it  great  sensual  pleasures,  both  in  this 
world  and  another;  and  that,  just  as  soon  as  he 
gets  followers  enough,  he  puts  a  sword  into  every 
man's  hand,  makes  himself  a  king,  and  says  to 
all  around:  "Take  your  choice,  the  sword  and 


292  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

perdition,  or  Mohammed  and  all  the  luxury  you 
desire  on  earth  and  in  heaven." 

Precisely  so  the  Shasters  of  Brahminism  con- 
tain no  history  that  possibly  can  be  tested  or 
confirmed — mere  wild  imaginations  of  what  hap- 
pened millions  of  ages  ago,  on  a  scale  entirely 
different  from,  and  disconnected  with,  anything 
contemporary,  or  that  any  men  now  living  ever 
saw. 

Just  so  the  Mormon  novel,  a  book  which 
somebody  wrote  in  a  kind  of  Scriptural  style, 
Joe  Smith  pretends  to  find  under  a  flat  rock  in 
the  earth :  nobody  saw  him  find  it,  and  if  he 
had,  could  not  swear  that  Smith  had  not  pre- 
viously put  it  there :  it  contains  no  history,  no 
fact,  no  confirmation  whatever;  and  silly  men 
receive  it  on  the  testimony  of  one  man,  who  by 
that  testimony  is  made  a  rich  man,  a  leader,  and 
revels  in  the  most  vicious  luxury  and  plenty. 
Verily  it  is  impossible  for  a  maniac  to  conceive 
of  folly  so  base  and  unmanly  as  what  we  actually 
see  among  men.  But  now  look  at  the  Bible.  Its 
very  beginning  is  history.  That  very  first  chap- 
ter, which  has  puzzled  geologists  so  much,  will 
yet  be  astonishingly  confirmed  throughout,  as  it 
already  is  in  parts,  and  will  demonstrate  itself  to 
be  divine.  It  states  the  unity  of  the  human 


ST.    PAUL. 

race,  a  doctrine  which  the  soundest  thought  and 
widest  research  compel  men  to  believe ;  the  del- 
uge, which  certainly  is  confirmed  by  observation 
and  tradition ;  the  history  of  Abraham  and  his 
travels ;  and  now,  after  four  thousand  years,  late 
researches  among  the  monuments  and  inscrip- 
tions of  Egypt  perfectly  confirm  all  the  repre- 
sentations of  Egyptian  manners  which  are  given. 
It  speaks  of  the  system  of  sacrifice,  and  sacrifices 
are  common  among  all  men.  It  gives  a  strange 
history  of  the  Jews,  stretching  over  a  thousand 
years :  that  history  is  confirmed  by  other  history, 
by  institutions  and  customs  now  existing ;  and 
the  Jews  are  among  us,  with  all  the  traditions 
and  peculiarities,  the  origin  of  which  is  here  de- 
scribed. It  speaks  of  the  division  of  the  human 
family  into  nations,  and  gives  some  account  of 
their  migrations  and  settlements ;  and  now  the 
profoundest  ethnographical  researches  of  stu- 
dents exactly  confirm  these  accounts.  It  gives 
a  short  and  incidental  description  of  other  na- 
tions contiguous  to  the  Jews — Assyrians,  Baby- 
lonians, Persians,  and  others — and  researches 
prove  that  they  were  just  such  people  as  the 
Bible  describes:  it  foretells  the  destruction  of 
these  nations — they  are  destroyed !  destroyed, 
too,  in  just  such  a  manner  as  was  predicted;  and 


294  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

now,  after  three  thousand  years,  the  old  tombs 
and  ruins  of  Nineveh  are  opened,  and  lo !  in- 
scriptions and  written  history  are  found  precisely 
corroborating  the  Bible.  It  foretells  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah,  and  behold!  at  the  time,  the 
world  is  astonished ;  strange  e.vents  do  happen. 
A  man  called  Jesus  does  appear ;  he  acts  openly ; 
his  history  is  written  by  contemporaries,  the 
most  candid,  unpretending,  and  inartificial  of 
men.  They  evidently  relate  just  exactly  what 
they  believe  they  saw  and  heard.  They  tell  of 
miracles  which  happened  in  the  sight  of  thou- 
sands, and  these  the  most  astonishing  of  events  ; 
they  tell  of  the  crucifixion  of  their  Master,  of  his 
resurrection  and  ascension,  of  the  appointment  of 
disciples,  and  the  organization  of  the  Church :  and 
not  one  of  these  events  was  denied  for  hundreds 
of  years — no  such  denial  is  on  record ;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  hundreds  of  confirmations.  And 
we  find  all  the  institutions  there  mentioned  still 
existing :  we  find  Christ  abrogating  the  ceremo- 
nial law,  and  we  find  that  law  neglected  by  his 
followers,  though  they  are  acquainted  with  its 
existence,  and  believe  it  was  divine ;  we  find 
Christ  establishing  baptism,  and  we  find  his  fol- 
lowers still  baptized  ;  we  find  him  giving  wine 
and  bread  to  his  disciples  as  emblems  of  his  cru- 


ST.     PAUL.  295 

cifixion,  and  commanding  them  to  perpetuate  the 
practice,  and  we  find  the  practice  perpetuated ; 
we  find  a  history  of  the  apostles'  preaching  in 
certain  countries ;  we  find  remnants  of  the  effects 
now  existing ;  we  find  the  history  of  the  New 
Testament  referring  to  contemporary  history  in 
more  than  a  thousand  instances,  and  though 
that  contemporary  history  was  the  most  compli- 
cated and  changeful  that  the  world  ever  saw,  yet 
in  no  one  instance  did  the  writers  make  a  mistake. 
And  what  is  still  more,  we  find  all  their  teach- 
ings to  be  on  the  side  of  truth,  and  morality,  and 
piety;  and  the  only  reward  the  writers  and 
leaders  obtained  from  their  fellow-men  was  re- 
proaches, jeers,  imprisonment,  mobbings,  scourg- 
ings,  and  violent  death :  and  all  this  claims,  and 
must  have  the  belief  of  every  candid  man  ;  "for 
this  thing  was  not  done  in  a  corner."  Indeed, 
this  one  particular  and  noble  characteristic  of 
our  holy  religion  challenges  the  admiration  of 
the  world,  while,  connected  with  the  influence 
which  Christianity  has  exerted,  and  the  power  it 
has  assumed  over  the  world,  it  amounts  to  a 
demonstration  that  it  came  from  God.  Secrecy 
is  always  suspicious;  knavery  loves  darkness, 
and  invariably  clothes  itself  in  a  mist.  Pretend- 
ers and  impostors  always  claim  to  have  some 


&I  V 


296  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

power  or  possession  that  other  men  cannot  enjoy 
nor  understand.  Not  so  with  Christianity.  It 
has  no  peculiar  prerogatives  which  it  does  not 
offer  to  all  men,  and  all  are  permitted  to  give 
unbiassed  and  voluntary  testimony.  The  attest- 
ations of  its  divinity,  which  were  given  at  its 
establishment  were  given  openly,  often  free  to 
the  inspection  of  thousands.  How  openly,  "for 
instance,  did  the  Jews  proclaim  their  expecta- 
tion of  a  Messiah  eighteen  hundred  years  ago ! 
How  definitely  had  Daniel  and  other  prophets 
written  to  the  world  that  then  he  should  come ! 
How  clearly  did  the  elders,  whom  Herod  ap- 
pealed to  for  information,  understand  that  he 
should  be  born  in  Bethlehem,  and  that  from  a 
prophecy  five  hundred  years  old,  and  understood 
all  that  time  !  How  openly  did  Christ  afterward 
proclaim  his  character  and  object!  How  public 
were  his  miracles, — such  as  feeding  the  five 
thousand,  healing  the  deaf  and  the  blind,  and 
raising  Lazarus  from  the  dead  !  How  boldly  did 
the  evangelists  declare,  on  the  very  spot,  to  men 
and  women  older  than  themselves,  that  the  sun 
was  darkened  when  Jesus  was  crucified,  and 
that  he  rose  from  the  dead,  and  hundreds  had 
seen  him  !  And  where  is  there  the  least  intima- 
tion that  anybody  denied  or  doubted  their  testi- 


ST.    PAUL.  297 

mony  ?  but  the  only  effort  was  to  get  around  it, 
to  escape  its  force,  to  attribute  the  wonders  to 
some  other  source,  or  obstinately  to  disobey  its 
commands,  because  they  did  not  relish  the  na- 
ture and  demands  of  Christianity!  This,  we 
say,  challenges  the  admiration  of  the  world, 
and  there  is  but  one  way  of  accounting  for  it, 
and  that  is,  by  acknowledging  and  perceiving 
the  exact  and  full  truth  of  the  Christian  his- 
tory. 

This  subject  admits  of  forcible  illustration 
from  the  life  of  Paul.  It  is  well  known  that 
Lord  Lyttleton,  an  English  nobleman,  was  con- 
verted from  infidelity  to  Christianity  by  an 
examination  of  the  life  of  Paul.  He  had  deter- 
mined to  examine  his  life  for  the  purpose  of 
holding  it  up  to  ridicule,  and,  if  possible,  to 
show  its  absurdity ;  but,  like  most  infidels,  he 
was  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  subject;  he 
resolved,  therefore,  to  examine  it.  But  he  had 
not  proceeded  in  his  investigations  far  before  he 
saw  that  the  life  of  Paul  was  consistent  and 
wonderful,  and  must  have  been  real,  and  that 
this  cannot  be  acknowledged  without  receiving 
at  the  same  time  the  truth  of  the  whole  scheme 
of  Christianity.  He  therefore,  with  a  manly  con- 
sistency, renounced  his  infidelity  and  became  a 


298  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Christian,  and  wrote  a  tract  upon  the  Demon- 
stration of  Christianity  by  the  life  of  St.  Paul. 

The  life  of  Paul  is  a  demonstration  of  Chris- 
tianity, just,  for  instance,  as  the  life  of  the  Mar- 
quis de  Lafayette,  properly  related,  is  a  demon- 
stration of  the  facts  and  nature  of  the  American 
Revolution,  in  which  he  took  a  part.  This  is  a 
feeble  and  imperfect  illustration,  far  less  forcible 
than  the  facts  we  wish  to  explain;  yet  it  is  an 
illustration,  and  may  properly  be  employed. 
Any  one  reading  the  life  of  Lafayette  would 
know  that  there  must  have  been  some  good 
reason  why  he,  a  young  man,  should  leave  his 
own  country,  where  his  prospects  were  good, 
and,  sword  in  hand,  offer  his  services  to  a  young 
people,  three  thousand  miles  away,  and  speak- 
ing another  language.  And  any  one  acquainted 
with  the  subsequent  life  of  Lafayette,  his  labours 
in  the  cause  of  constitutional  freedom,  his  im- 
prisonment and  sufferings,  would  be  prepared  to 
allow  that  the  American  cause  must  have  been 
just,  or,  at  least,  appeared  so  to  him.  But  how 
imperfect  is  this  illustration  compared  with  the 
life* of  Paul:  for  Lafayette  might  have  been 
stimulated  by  a  love  of  glory,  or  by  hatred  to 
England,  or  by  a  love  of  adventure,  while  no 
other  supposition  but  a  profound  conviction  of 


ST.     PAUL.  299 

the  truth  of  Christianity  will  explain  the  life 
of  Paul. 

Look  at  it  a  minute.  This  man  Paul  (origi- 
nally called  Saul,  though  we  shall  use  the  same 
name  throughout  to  avoid  confusion)  was  a 
native  Jew,  and  a  Pharisee,  and  a  very  strict 
and  ardent  partisan  of  his  religion ;  all  of 
which  no  man  will  deny.  He  openly  asserts  it, 
and  others  assert  it  of  him,  and  no  man  can 
deny  it.  He  was  well  educated  in  a  Jewish 
religious  school  by  Gamaliel;  no  one  can  deny 
it,  and  his  language  and  writings  show  it.  He 
was  a  persecutor  of  the  Christians,  and  was 
actually  one  of  the  chief  instigators  of  the  death 
of  the  first  Christian  martyr,  Stephen.  The  wit- 
nesses laid  down  their  garments  at  the  feet  of 
Paul,  while  they  stoned  him  to  death.  "Who 
denies  it?  No  one,  for  it  was  "not  done  in  a 
corner;"  it  was  in  open  daylight,  and  the  whole 
mob  saw  it,  and  all  the  people  knew  it.  After- 
ward he  caused  many  to  be  put  to  death ;  this 
he  himself  asserts,*  and  certainly  he  would  not 
have  asserted  it  if  it  was  false,  for  it  was  no 
honour  to  him,  and  Agrippa  was  old  enough  to 
know  whether  it  was  true  or  not,  and  he  tells 
Agrippa  it  was  "not  done  in  a  corner." 
0  Acts  xxyi,  10. 


THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Now  proceed  a  little  further.  This  young 
man,  violent  and  haughty,  and  on  the  high 
road  to  eminence  and  glory  among  his  peo- 
ple, all  at  once  becomes  a  Christian.  It  was 
one  of  the  most  sudden  and  wonderful  tran- 
sitions of  character  on  record.  It  was  like  a 
flash  of  lightning  from .  a  clear  sky :  it  was  like 
making  a  dead  statue  into  a  living  man !  There 
is  no  denying  this.  It  certainly  is  a  fact  that 
the  apostle  Paul  was  a  Christian.  We  challenge 
even  a  Yoltaire  to  deny  that !  He  did  not  ad- 
vocate Christianity  "in  a  corner."  He  preached 
all  through  Judea,  all  through  Asia  Minor,  in 
Greece  and  in  Rome.  A  tract  of  country  em- 
bracing some  thousands  of  miles  and  millions 
of  human  beings  is  rather  too  large  to  be  called 
"a  corner!"  And  Paul  travelled  over  it,  and 
preached  more  than  a  score  of  years,  and  num- 
bered among  his  converts  many  Churches  and 
thousands  of  human  beings. 

Now,  I  ask,  how  will  you  account  for  this? 
how,  except  upon  the  supposition  that  all  that 
he  relates  of  his  history  is  true  ? 

Perhaps  an  objector  might  say,  "He  did  this 
for  glory,  for  earthly  honour,  to  become  the 
acknowledged  head  of  a  new  sect."  A  strange 
glory  was  that,  indeed,  which  awaited  the  apos- 


ST.     PAUL.  301 

tie  Paul  after  his  change  of  life.  To  be  one  of 
a  despised  and  persecuted  sect ;  to  be  cast  off 
by  his  own  friends  and  blood  relations ;  to  com- 
mence his  public  career  by  being  let  down  in  a 
basket  outside  of  the  walls  of  a  city  where,  before, 
he  was  a  great  man,  and  to  run  for  his  life ; 
to  deprive  himself  of  all  the  comforts  of  a 
family  and  a  home,  and  to  live  the  life  of  a 
vagrant;  to  be  whipped  by  a  Roman  scourge 
thrice  to  the  very  verge  of  death ;  to  be  thrust 
into  prisons  and  chained;  to  be  beaten  and 
stoned  till  actually  supposed  to  be  dead ;  to 
"  die  daily,"  or  live  constantly  in  expectation  of 
martyrdom ;  to  meet  with  "  perils  by  sea  and  by 
land,"  from  "  wild  beasts  "  and  wilder  men,  and 
worse  than  all,  "false  brethren,"  and  finally  to 
lose  his  head  by  the  executioner's  knife:  this 
was  indeed  a  strange  glory,  speaking  after  the 
manner  of  men ! 

But  says  the  objector,  "  It  was  for  future  glory 
among  men  that  Paul  thus  suffered.  He  knew 
that  Christianity  would  triumph,  and  that  he 
would  in  future  ages  be  greatly  honoured."  Did 
he  know  this  ?  Then  he  must  have  known  that 
Christianity  is  true ;  for  on  the  supposition  only 
that  Christianity  is  true,  could  he  suppose  that  it 
would  triumph  over  its  foes.  This  position  can- 


302  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

not  be  controverted.  Turn  the  wheels  of  time 
backward  eighteen  hundred  years,  and  look  up- 
on the  world  as  Paul  saw  it,  and  no  man  of  ordi- 
nary or  extraordinary  intelligence  can  prognos- 
ticate that  this  feeble  body  of  Christians,  scattered 
and  persecuted,  on  principle  opposed  to  resort- 
ing to  "  carnal  weapons,"  with  the  Jews  on  the 
one  side  and  the  Romans  on  the  other,  with 
philosophers,  and  mobs,  and  all  men  of  office 
and  influence  leagued  against  them,  will  ever 
gain  respectability  and  power,  so  as  to  make 
their  leaders  glorious,  unless  he  believes — what 
Paul  did  believe — that  "  Christ  crucified  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that 
believeth,"  and  the  right  arm  of  Almighty  God 
is  stretched  out  for  them,  and  against  them  the 
very  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail.  This  Paul 
did  believe ;  but  I  suppose  he  had  no  reference 
to  earthly  glory — he  could  not  condescend  to 
give  it  a  thought. 

Again,  on  the  foolish  supposition  that  the 
apostle  Paul  changed  his  life  for  earthly  honour, 
he  must  have  been  a  hypocrite,  a  vicious  man. 
But  does  it  look  like  vice  for  a  man  to  advocate 
virtue  all  his  life,  and  to  die  for  it?  to  write  to 
his  friends,  "  Owe  no  man  anything,  but  to  love 
one  another;"  "Let  him  that  stole  steal  no 


ST.     PAUL.  303 

more ;"  "  Let  no  evil  communication  proceed 
out  of  your  mouth ;"  "  Lie  not  one  to  another ;" 
"Render  evil  to  no  man;"  "Sin  not;"  "There 
be  some  who  say  that  we  do  evil  that  good  may 
come,  whose  damnation  is  just;"  "Having, 
therefore,  these  promises,  dearly  beloved,  let  us 
cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh 
and  spirit,  perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of 
God ;"  "  Receive  us :  we  have  wronged  no  man, 
we  have  corrupted  no  man,  we  have  defrauded 
no  man."  And  then,  when  about  to  die,  to 
exclaim,  "1  have  fought  a  yood  fight,  I  have 
finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith : 
henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of 
righteousness."  Is  any  man  so  blind  to  virtue, 
in  a  word,  so  great  a  knave  himself,  as  to  charge 
the  apostle  Paul  with  knavery?  For  the 
honour  of  common  reason,  let  us  trust  not ! 

How,  then,  can  you  account  for  this  sudden 
change  in  the  character  of  Paul,  a  change  that 
did  not  take  place  "  in  a  corner  ?"  There  is  one 
more  false  supposition,  and  perhaps  only  one,  and 
that  is,  "  Paul  was  mad :  he  was  enthusiastic, 
he  wras  beside  himself."  This  was  the  foolish 
reason  assigned,  in  the  very  lifetime  of  Paul,  by 
his  enemies.  Even  in  the  very  interview  to 
which  reference  has  been  made,  Festus  roared 


304:  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

out,  "Paul,  thou  art  beside  thyself;  much 
learning  doth  make  thee  mad !"  But  I  would 
be  willing  to  leave  the  question  to  any  reason- 
able man,  Which  was  mad,  Paul  or  Festus? 
Still,  this  was  a  common  charge.  Paul  evidently 
alludes  to  it  in  one  of  his  letters,- when  he  writes, 
"If  we  are  beside  ourselves,  it  is  to  God ;  or 
whether  we  be  sober,  it  is  for  your  cause  ;"* 
intimating  that  some  called  him  "beside  him- 
self," or  crazy.  This  is  a  very  common  charge 
against  truly  wise  men.  Christians  are  often 
called  enthusiastic;  fanatical,  absurd.  Because 
they  prefer  heaven  to  earth,  the  approbation  of 
their  own  consciences  to  temporary  pleasure,  the 
blessings  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  the  applause  of 
men ;  because  they  take  God  at  his  word,  and 
prove  his  promises,  therefore  they  are  called 
mad  by  men  who  will  not  believe  God,  and 
have  not  therefore  the  experience  which  makes 
a  Christian  happy.  This  allegation  I  shall  not 
attempt  to  remove.  It  is  useless  to  reason  with 
a  madman ;  and  he  must  be  mad  who  charges 
Paul  with  madness. 

What,  then,  is  the  only  tenable  and  satis- 
factory solution  of  this  wonderful  conversion  of 
Paul  ?  We  answer,  the  solution  which  he  him- 

0  2  Corinthians  v,  13. 


ST.    PAUL.  305 

self  gives ;  and  no  man  could  better  understand 
it  than  the  subject  of  it. 

The  simple  facts  are,  that  he  was  on  his  way 
to  Damascus,  bent  on  deeds  of  blood.  If  there 
was  not  malice  prepense  in  his  heart,  it  was  yet 
swelling  with  inquisitorial  rage.  Perhaps  he 
thought  he  was  "doing  God  service;"  but  he 
did  not  pause  to  reflect  much  on  the  foundation 
of  that  opinion.  He  had,  in  some  way,  obtained 
the  notion  that  the  Christians  must  be  extermi- 
nated, and  was  determined  it  should  be  done. 
Perhaps  his  mind  .was  ill  at  ease ;  perhaps  he 
began  to  think,  "  They  may  be  right,  and  I  am 
wrong."  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  says  that  at  mid- 
day he  saw  a  great  light,  and  heard  an  articulate 
voice  reproving  him.  He  was  the  best  judge  of 
that  himself.  He  says  that  as  soon  as  the  voice 
declared  itself  to  be  the  Lord,  whom  he  was  per- 
secuting, he  fell  down,  blind  and  speechless.  This 
is  not  strange :  it  is  just  what  might  be  expected. 
He  then  saw  at  once  the  wickedness  of  his 
course :  he  saw  that  he  was  a  murderer  of  the 
deepest  dye, — he  had  slain  the  innocent  chil- 
dren of  God!  He  probably  thought — if  he 
could  think  anything  in  such  agony— that  his 
damnation  was  sure,  and  hell  was  opening  for 

him.     He  was  taken  into  a  house,  and  there 
20 


306  THE     YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

lay  three  days  in  all  the  agonies  of  contrition 
and  remorse,  and,  I  suppose,  not  without  prayer. 
He  undoubtedly  found  peace,  just  as  other  men 
since  have  professed  to  find  peace,  through  self- 
renunciation,  consecration  to  God,  and  true  faith 
in  Jesus  Christ.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  ac- 
cording to  his  own  faith,  were  his  sins  forgiven. 
Then,  by  the  providence  of  God,  Ananias,  a 
Christian  disciple,  and  probably  a  preacher, 
was  directed  to  visit  Saul.  He  feared  to,  at 
first;  but  he  went,  and,  at  his  touch,  Paul  wa# 
miraculously  restored  to  sight.  Three  days  be- 
fore, had  Paul  seen  Ananias,  he  would  have 
had  him  thrust  into  jail,  and  have  been  glad  to 
see  him  die  :  now  Ananias  said,  "Brother  Saul ;" 
and  undoubtedly  Paul  replied,  "  My  dear  brother 
Ananias."  They  were  no  longer  foes,  but 
brothers.  In  the  fulness  of  his  heart,  and  of  his 
first  love  to  Jesus,  he  would  have  been  glad  to 
embrace  the  meanest  disciple,  and  fold  him  to 
his  heart.  Then  began  the  noble  career  of  the 
peerless  apostle.  Then  began  his  trials  and  his 
triumphs,  his  temptations  and  his  victories,  his 
controversies  and  his  exhortations,  his  bold  at- 
tacks of  sin  and  his  encouragement  of  the  faith- 
ful ;  nor  did  he  cease  till  he  had  greeted  tens  of 
thousands  of  his  converts,  and  seen  hundreds  of 


ST.     PAUL.  307 

them  depart  in  a  Christian's  peace  ;  and,  finally, 
amid  the  tears  of  all  of  the  enlarged  Church  of 
Christ,  he  died  as  a  martyr,  and,  what  was  far 
better  than  to  live  on  earth,  went  to  be  with 
Christ.  And  all  this  was  not  done  in  a  corner. 

The  conversion  of  Paul  is  not  an  isolated,  soli- 
tary instance  in  the  practical  demonstration  of 
the  divine  power  of  Christianity.  History  is  full 
of  them ;  the  world  abounds  with  them.  The 
gospel  carries  its  demonstration  with  it. 

In  the  magnificent  structure  of  St.  Paul's 
church  in  London  is  a  small  slab  erected  to  the 
memory  of  Christopher  Wren,  the  architect  of 
the  building,  with  this  inscription :  "  If  you  would 
see  his  monument,  look  around  you."  Such  is 
the  language  of  Christianity.  Would  you  see 
demonstration  of  its  divinity,  "look  around  you!" 
See  the  miserable,  degraded  victim  of  intemper- 
ance and  vice  raised  from  the  gutter,  clothed 
and  in  his  right  mind,  a  peaceful,  happy,  enter- 
prising, useful,  noble  man;  see  human  nature 
elevated,  glorified ;  see  the  afflicted  happy ;  see 
the  dying  rejoice.  "  These  are  my  jewels,"  said 
the  Roman  woman,  pointing  to  her  children; 
"  Ye  are  my  witnesses,  says  the  prophet ;  "  Ye 
are  our  epistle,"  (our  letter  of  recommendation,) 
says  the  apostle. 


308  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

Take  the  history  of  the  world,  such  as  we  have 
it,  and  obliterate  from  its  pages  all  the  cheering 
records  of  the  power  of  Christianity,  all  its  noble, 
philanthropic  enterprises,  all  its  instances  of 
sacrifice,  all  its  superhuman  efforts  to  do  good, 
all  of  its  happy  lives,  all  of  its  martyrdoms,  all 
of  its  influence  on  government  and  law,  all  of 
its  biographies  of  such  men  as  Peter,  and  Paul, 
and  John,  and  Luther,  and  Wesley,  and  Howard, 
and  Wilberforce,  and  Fletcher,  and  Asbury,  and 
thousands  of  others,  scarcely  lesser  lights,  and 
what  a  dead  level  of  corruption,  what  a  dismal 
chaos  of  vice  and  rottenness  would  the  world 
present !  Its  deeds,  its  deeds  declare  it ;  by  them 
let  it  stand  or  fall! 

I  appeal  to  you,  then,  ought  the  gospel  to  be 
to  you  as  "  a  very  lovely  song  of  one  that  hath 
a  pleasant  voice  ?"  Ought  you  to  listen  to 
the  demands  of  Christ,  just  as  you  listen  to 
the  murmuring  of  the  wind  in  a  grove,  or  the 
singing  of  birds  on  a  pleasant  summer's  morn- 
ing? If  stirred  by  anything,  ought  not  your 
hearts  to  be  aroused  to  most  energetic  resolve 
and  immediate  action,  by  the  gospel  ?  The  con- 
version of  Paul  is  no  more  than  is  offered  to  all. 
All  need  it  as  much  as  he  did.  Without  it,  ac- 
cording to  the  Bible,  we  perish.  He  that  is  not 


ST.     PAUL.  309 

for  Christ  is  against  him ;  he  that  gathereth  not 
with  him  scattereth  abroad.  It  is  not  a  few  men 
only  that  are  called  to  be  flames  of  fire ;  every 
heart  should  burn,  every  soul  glow  with  love  to 
God. 

But,  whether  men  receive  it  or  reject  it,  Chris- 
tianity is  of  God,  and  will  prevail.  Its  history 
is  engraved  on  the  adamantine  walls  of  the 
past,  and  time  cannot  obliterate  it.  Its  present 
is  sunken  deep  into  the  institutions  of  earth,  and 
upheld  by  the  power  of  the  Omnipotent.  It 
rolls  on,  with  more  than  the  power  of  a  planet, 
moved  and  guided  by  the  unseen  hand  of  Jeho- 
vah. It  shakes  off  the  puny  advocates  of  infi- 
delity as  the  lion  shakes  the  dew-drop  from  his 
mane.  Its  children  are  a  procession  of  all  ages 
and  nations,  and  more  than  four  thousand  years 
long — fall  in,  then,  or  you  perish !  Already  this 
immense  multitude  raise  the  jubilant  shout,  and 
soon  the  angels  from  heaven,  and  the  saints  on 
earth,  together  will  sing,  Hallelujah!  the  Lord 
God*  Omnipotent  reigneth  1 


310  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 


CHAPTER  XYHL 

GRAND   PRACTICAL    BENEFITS    OF    THE    BIBLE. 

THERE  are  two  ways  of  looking  at  every  grand 
subj  ect  like  the  present — the  theoretical  and  the 
practical.  We  may  inquire,  What  ought  to  be, 
or  must  be?  and  we  may  inquire,  What  is? 
Thus,  for  instance,  if  the  question  is  proposed, 
What  are  the  advantages  of  a  republican  form 
of  government?  one  man  might,  by  patient 
and  long  reflection,  think  out,  as  he  supposed, 
all  the  effects  that  could  possibly  attend  such  a 
system.  That  would  be  theory.  Another  might 
appeal  to  facts,  actual  republics,  ancient  and 
modern.  That  would  be  practice. 

Thus  we  might  examine  the  great  question  of 
the  effects  of  the  Bible.  The  problem  theoreti- 
cally would  be,  Given,  a  book  presented  to  "man 
by  Jehovah,  confirmed  by  miracles,  verified  by 
prophecy  fulfilled,  and  being  fulfilled,  and  by 
perfect  adaptation  to  man,  teaching  him  his  im- 
mortality, future  rewards  and  punishments,  a"nd 
the  way  of  eternal  happiness — what  will  be,  what 


BENEFITS     OF    THE    BIBLE.  311 

must  be  its  effect  on  man  ?  Let  us  suppose  that 
the  problem  was  submitted  to  an  angel,  who  had 
never  seen  the  earth,  nor  till  then  heard  of  man ; 
what  would  be  his  reply?  Would  he  not  say. 
"  In  spite  of  the  most  inveterate  depravity  which, 
you  say,  exists  in  man,  and  for  which  this  is  a 
remedy,  he  must  yield  to  the  solicitations  of  that 
book  ?  Self-interest  will  prompt  him  to  avoid  its 
threatenings  and  obtain  its  blessings,  and  the 
condescension  of  God  will  humble  him.  The 
Bible !  Why,  every  man,  woman,  and  child  will 
possess  himself  of  one  and  prize  it  next  to  his 
soul ;  they  will  consult  it  as  their  constant  guide ; 
every  family  will  esteem  it  as  a  sacred  treasure  ; 
all  will  live  by  its  directions,  and  die  with  its 
promised  comfort,  and  thank  God  for  that  im- 
mortalizing fruit  of  the  tree  of  life  !" 
Alas !  alas !  all  this  is  a  mistake, — 

"  The  best-concerted  schemes  of  men 
Go  oft  astray ;" 

and  so  do  their  theories,  and  perhaps  the  theo- 
ries of  angels  would  fare  no  better.  What  ought 
to  be,  if  right  reason  prevailed,  is  very  different 
from  what  is.  We  must  descend,  then,  from 
fancy  to  fact,  from  the  golden  clouds  of  the 
firmament  to  the  rough  and  rugged  surface  of 
the  earth.  And  yet  this  theoretical  considera- 


312  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

tion  of  what  the  Bible  ought  to  effect,  is  not 
without  profit.  I  have  not  glanced  at  the  sub- 
ject without  object.  I  wish  to  intimate  that 
great  as  has  been  the  good  influence  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  hitherto,  it  has  been  but  little 
compared  with  what  it  ought  to  have  been,  little 
compared  with  what  it  might  have  been,  and, 
we  trust,  will  yet  be. 

But  let  us  consider  the  actual  advantages  of 
the  word  of  God  as  ocularly  demonstrated  be- 
fore us.  Observe  its  effect  upon  the  morality 
of  man.  The  line  between  right  and  wrong 
where  the  Bible  is  not  known  is  exceedingly 
movable  and  uncertain,  and  the  inducements  to 
a  high  order  of  morality  are  weak  and  inef- 
fective. 

After  allowing  full  force  to  exceptions,  which 
are  only  of  individuals  or  of  small  peoples  for  a 
short  time,  certainly  it  will  not  be  denied  that 
the  standard  of  morality  in  all  heathen  nations 
is  far  below  that  of  Christianity.  Falsehood, 
theft,  and  the  violation  of  every  law  of  our 
moral  code  are  common  among  the  heathen. 
It  is  true  that  crime  and  violence  prevail  in 
nominally  Christian  nations;  but  it  is  almost 
entirely  among  that  class  who  either  have  not 
received  Christian  instruction  and  to  whom  the 


BENEFITS    OF    THE    BIBLE.  313 

Bible  is  as  great  a  stranger  as  to  the  Hottentot, 
or  it  is  among  those  who  voluntarily  throw  off 
all  restraint  of  the  word  of  God.  It  is  the  mis- 
fortune of  nominally  Christian  nations  that  they 
have  a  vast  population  of  heathen  and  worse 
than  heathen  in  their  midst ;  and,  therefore,  to 
learn  the  influence  of  the  Bible,  no  general 
national  comparison  is  fair.  There  is  not  a 
Christian  nation  on  the  face  of  the  round  earth. 
There  have  been  some  states,  even  large  ones, 
which  at  certain  times  have  approximated  the 
true  character,  and  the  contrast  between  them 
and  others  has  been  marked. 

God  has  endowed  all  men  with  a  faculty,  the 
object  of  which  is  to  discriminate  between  right 
and  wrong ;  but  without  some  guide  upon  which 
to  rely,  its  decisions  are  various,  and  its  prompt- 
ings toward  right  are  feeble ;  and,  what  is  still 
more  deplorable,  but  few  men  will  listen  even 
to  that.  Passion  usurps  the  place  of  conscience, 
which  becomes  dormant  and  almost  dead.  Mo- 
rality requires  the  promise  of  future  reward  and 
the  threatening  of  future  punishment  to  become 
commanding  and  strong. 

A  survey  of  heathen  nations  will  amply  con- 
firm all  I  have  said.  With  but  a  few  partial 
exceptions,  gross  darkness  covers  the  people, 


314:  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

and  wickedness  is  universal,  where  the  Bible  is 
unknown.  Even  philosophers,  who  have  medi- 
tated and  sagely  written  about  morality,  have 
practised  debasing  vice, — 

"  Greatest,  wisest,  meanest  of  mankind !" 

But  in  Christian  lands  there  has  ever  been  a 
large  portion  of  the  population  who  have  pro- 
fessed to  enjoy  its  spiritual  blessings,  all  of 
whom  are  bound  to  strive,  and  do  strive,  to 
obey  the  strictest  standard  of  morality,  even  a 
transcript  of  the  will  of  God ;  and  a  still  larger 
class  who,  taught  in  childhood  the  principles  of 
rectitude,  have  consciences  accurate  and  tender, 
and  whose  morals  are  irreproachable. 

What  is  the  consequence  of  all  this?  Not 
only  pure  morality  on  their  part,  but  vice  hides 
itself  in  shame.  It  skulks  into  corners  and 
secret  places;  it  covers  itself  with  hypocrisy, 
and  the  general  tone  of  morality  is  high  and 
firm,  in  precise  proportion  with  the  influence  of 
the  word  of  God.  Perhaps  a  dozen  or  more 
specimens  of  comparatively  pure  lives  may  be 
found  in  heathen  history;  but  what  multitudes 
of  men  and  women,  of  the  most  sublime  and 
heroic  morality  and  piety,  does  Christianity 
present! 


BENEFITS     OF    THE    BIBLE.  315 

Observe  now  the  influence  of  the  Bible  upon 
the  social  habits  and  enjoyments  of  man.  Man 
is  gregarious  the  world  over;  but  where  are 
social  interviews  productive  of  pure  intellectual 
enjoyment,  or  conducted  upon  principles  honour- 
able to  man,  but  where  the  oracles  of  God  are 
known  ?  Where  else  is  domestic  peace  perfect  ? 
Where  else  is  the  family  relation  understood, 
and  rightly  appreciated  ?  Where  else  is  woman 
elevated  above  the  condition  of  a  servant? 
Brute  force  prevails  where  the  Bible  is  un- 
known. The  superior  claims  of  intelligence  are 
not  recognised;  and  the  claims  of  refinement 
and  delicacy  are  wholly  overlooked.  Even  in 
polished  Greece  and  majestic  Rome  woman 
was  a  slave;  and  the  few  women  who  rose 
above  the  ordinary  grade,  and  achieved  a  place 
in  history,  were  still  of  a  character  that  will  not 
bear  the  inspection  of  a  Christian  gaze.  These 
are  facts  that  must  force  themselves  upon  the 
attention  of  all  who  think :  and  even  now  infi- 
delity, though  its  mouth  is  full  of  great,  swelling 
words  of  philanthropy,  a  caricature  of  Christi- 
anity, having 

"  Stolen  the  livery  of  heaven 
To  serve  the  devil  in," 

yet  professes  principles  which,  carried  out,  would 


316  THE    YOTJNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

lead  to  all  the  immorality  of  heathenism,  and 
reduce  woman  to  barbarian  degradation. 

"We  have  room  only  to  give  a  rapid  view  of 
the  subject,  and  we  therefore  proceed  to  the  in-, 
fluence  of  the  Bible  upon  the  government  and 
laws  of  nations.  Government  perhaps  is  one  of 
the  last  places  upon  which  the  full  influence  of 
Christianity  is  felt ;  because  it  is  only  by  indi- 
rect action,  through  public  opinion,  that  the 
power  of  Christianity  can  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  it.  The  Bible  does  not  specify  any  form  of 
government  as  the  only  proper  one,  but  contents 
itself  with  commanding  magistrates  to  rule,  and 
the  people  to  obey,  in  the  fear  of  God.  It  is 
only  by  raising  the  tone  of  morality  in  a  people, 
and  by  diffusing  correct  principles  of  morality 
and  religion,  that  the  government  and  laws  of 
nations  can  be  improved  by  Christianity.  We 
cannot  enter  at  large  into  the  subject  of  law 
modified  by  Christianity;  but  none  can  deny 
its  elevating,  humanizing  effect.  How  have  the 
terrors  of  war  been  mitigated — would  to  God 
that  it  had  been  wholly  destroyed — by  Chris- 
tianity! No  longer  are  prisoners  mercilessly 
butchered,  nor  consigned  to  hopeless  slavery; 
but  generously  exchanged  or  released :  and  na- 
tions, instead  of  their  former  aspect  as  demons, 


BENEFITS     OF    THE    BIBLE.  317 

look  upon  each  other  with  some  mutual  forbear- 
ance and  love.  The  rights  of  habeas  corpus  and 
trial  by  jury,  the  abolishment  of  imprisonment 
for  debt,  and  of  barbarous  punishments,  and  of 
the  torture  even  of  witnesses,  have  been  brought 
about  by  Christianity. 

The  laws  of  nations,  technically  speaking, 
or  the  partially  unwritten  regulations  which  na- 
tions observe  in  their  treatment  of  each  other, 
have  been  vastly  changed  by  Christianity.  The 
common  law,  decided  by  precedent,  has  been 
greatly  elevated  in  moral  tone;  and  no  dis- 
criminating mind  can  read  the  statutes  of  any 
Christian  state  without  detecting,  on  every  page, 
the  undercurrent  influence  of  the  word  of  God. 
The  most  of  these  influences  act  without  revolu- 
tion, silently,  gradually,  to  some  minds  imper- 
ceptibly, but  yet  act.  The  mightiest  powers  of 
nature  are  silent.  You  may  plant  a  garden  in 
the  shade,  and  subject,  perhaps,  to  poisonous  in- 
fluences :  the  plants  are  all  sickly  and  pale,  the 
flowers  are  small  and  dull,  the  fruit  scanty  and 
innutritions.  But  remove  the  obstruction,  ihe 
high  walls, — let  the  sunlight  upon  it,  and  the 
noxious  pools  are  dried  up,  the  grateful  plants 
shoot  up  with  unwonted  vigour,  the  blossoms 
multiply  and  enlarge,  and  what  was  formerly 


318  THE    YOUNG    MAN     ADVISED. 

sickly  and  drooping  becomes  beautiful  and  rich. 
Similar  is  the  silent,  fertilizing  influence  of  the 
Bible  on  the  nations  and  man.     It  is  the  light 
of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  with  healing  on  its 
wings.     Let  its  light  shine ;  let  the  Bible  be  cir- 
culated, and  its  preachers  follow  it,  and  its  in- 
stitutions   arise ;    and    the   barbarous    Britons, 
clothed  in   skins,  led  by  the  Druids,  making 
huge,  gigantic,  hollow  images,  filled  with  hu- 
man beings,  set  on  fire  from  below,  and  thus 
roasting  scores  at  once  as  holocausts  to  false 
gods,   are,    with   the  more   ferocious   worship- 
pers of  Odin,  changed  into  intellectual  Anglo- 
Saxon   Christians:     the    South   Sea   Islanders, 
amost  naked,  and  absolutely,  like  fishes,  eating 
each  other,  become  clothed  and  in  their  right 
mind,  and  watch  over  each  other  with  affec- 
tion ;  and,  in  decent,  happy  congregations,  wor- 
ship God :    and  the  Hottentot  and  the  Bush- 
man are  elevated  into  men !     The  Bible  is  the 
tree  of  life,  and  its  "  leaves  are  for  the  healing 
of  the    nations"     Hjgtory,   with   a   thousand 
voices,  demonstrates  the  necessity  of  the  oracles 
of  God. 

I  pass  now  to  consider  the  more  important 
features  of  the  subject,  and  especially  interesting 
to  the  most  genuine  Christians,  who  have  a  rich 


BENEFITS     OF    THE    BIBLE.  319 

experimental  spiritual  experience  of  the  religion 
of  the  Bible.  The  Bible  is  an  incomparable 
blessing,  because  it  teaches  men  whom  to  wor- 
ship, and  how  to  worship  God.  All  over  the 
round  earth  men  do  worship,  men  will  worship, 
must  worship  something.  But  the  worship  of 
Brahma,  the  worship  of  idols  of  every  description 
and  name,  is  a  curse,  a  positive  curse  to  man. 
That  which  ought  to  be  his  greatest  blessing  is 
his  greatest  curse.  If  you  could  conceive  it  pos- 
sible for  all  the  blood,  which  is  the  life,  to  be 
drawn  out  of  a  man's  body,  and  then  another 
fluid  to  be  substituted,  a  rank  poison,  which  yet 
should  have  the  power  of  keeping  the  heart  in 
motion,  you  would  expect  to  see  a  miserable,  per- 
haps furious,  insane  wretch.  Now  the  worship 
of  God  is  the  only  true  life-blood  of  the  soul.  Let 
it  flow  through  unadulterated  and  harmonious; 
perfect  spiritual  vitality  is  the  result :  all  other 
worship  as  a  substitute  for  that  is  constant  death, 
demoralizing,  dehumanizing,  brutalizing,  yes, 
demoiiizing  man ;  dethroning  Jehovah,  and  en- 
throning the  devil — the  greatest  insult  to  God, 
the  greatest  evil  to  man !  Behold,  therefore, 
God's  indignation  at  idolatry!  It  is  the  concen- 
trated essence  of  sin.  In  its  worst. form  it  is 
worse  than  atheism ;  it  not  only  denies  God,  but 


320  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

substitutes  for  him  what  is  no  God,  a  figment  of 
the  imagination,  if  not  the  work  of  the  hand ! 

Now  I  hazard  the  assertion  that,  but  for  the 
Bible,  idolatry  would  be  universal.  Indeed,  this 
is  evident  from  the  condition  of  man  where  the 
influence  of  the  Bible  is  not  felt. 

Two  important  questions  now  suggest  them- 
selves :  How  does  idolatry  arise  ?  and,  How  will 
the  Bible  prevent  it?  This  is  a  subject  worthy 
of  much  thought,  and  seldom,  if  ever,  satisfac- 
torily presented. 

The  one  great  subject  of  the  Bible  is  Christ. 
Christ  is  its  beginning,  its  body,  its  end.  Christ 
is  the  subject  of  its  first  prophecy,  and  its  last 
promise ;  Christ  was  prefigured  in  the  sacrifices, 
foretold  by  the  prophets,  sung  by  the  bards,  ex- 
pected by  all  the  saints,  manifested  in  due  time 
in  Judea,  offered  up  for  us  all,  raised  from  the 
dead,  and  has  ascended  on  high,  where  he  ever 
liveth,  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  making  inter- 
cession for  us.  Take  Christ  from  the  Bible,  and 
there  is  but  a  little  remnant  of  useless  ruins  left. 
Christ  is  the  great  want,  too,  of  .man.  A  knowl- 
edge of  Christ  is  necessary  to  our  happiness  and 
perfection.  But  what  is  Christ?  A  Mediator, 
an  Intercessor,  a  Daysman  between  God  and  us. 

Now,  inasmuch  as  such  a  Mediator  is  neces- 


BENEFITS    OF    THE    BIBLE.  321 

sary,  and  without  him  .none  could  be  saved,  and 
inasmuch  as  every  man  is  created  for  Christ, 
God  has  implanted  in  every  human  soul  an  in- 
stinctive want  of  a  Redeemer.  All  men,  per- 
haps unconsciously,  when  they  worship,  sigh  for 
a  Redeemer.  There  is  an  instinctive  fear  of  wor- 
shipping Jehovah  without  a  Redeemer.  There 
is  an  inclination  to  suppose  that  the  Almighty 
will  not  listen  to  us  unless  we  have  some  one  to 
plead  our  cause.  Therefore,  where  Christ  is  un- 
known, men  in  their  worship  seek  other  medi- 
ators. Observe,  then,  the  tendency  to  idolatry. 
Idolaters  have  generally  believed  in  the  existence 
of  GOD,  a  Supreme  Being ;  but  they  have  been 
disinclined  to  worship  him.  They  have  sought 
out  demi-gods  or  eminent  deceased  human  be- 
ings, and  prayed  to  them.  These  have  been 
the  false  gods  of  the  idolaters.  These  have  been 
substituted  for  Christ.  These  have  been  counter- 
feit Christs— -false  redeemers. 

See  how  this  view  is  confirmed  by  a  reference 
to  Roman  Catholic  nations.  They  neglect  the 
Bible ;  the  people  are  totally  ignorant  of  it ; 
in  Rome,  the  residence  of  the  pope,  a  Bible 
cannot  be  found  in  any  bookstore,  and  even  the 
great  body  of  the  priests  are  ignorant  of  it. 
Therefore  with  them  Christ,  the  true  Mediator, 
21 


322  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

is  in  fact  deposed,  and  idols  take  his  place.  A 
hundred  prayers  are  offered  to  the  Virgin  Mary 
where  one  is  offered  to  God  or  Christ.  She  was 
a  woman — her  pictures  are  presented  in  every 
public  place ;  they  are  not  afraid  to  present  their 
wants  to  her ;  and  though  not  one  instance  of 
her  worship  is  mentioned  in  the  Bible>  she  has 
become  their  tutelar  goddess.  Besides  this, 
prayers  are  offered  to  hundreds  of  saints,  who 
together  take  the  exact  place  occupied  by  false 
gods  among  the  idolaters. 

Now,  this  want  of  the  soul,  this  desire  for  a 
mediator,  is  met  in  the  Bible,  by  the  presentation 
of  Jesus  Christ.  "  We  have  not  a  high  priest 
which  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our 
infirmities ;  but  was  in  all  points  tempted  like 
as  we  are,  yet  without  sin."  Christ  was  careful, 
therefore,  to  instruct  his  disciples  to  offer  their 
prayers  "in  his  name."  He  assures  us  that 
where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together,  he  is 
in  the  midst.  He  is  the  only  perfect  Mediator — 
God  and  man ;  omniscient,  and  yet  sympathizing 
with  us ;  omnipotent,  and  yet  ready  to  stoop  to 
aid  the  humblest  in  the  most  trifling  want ;  per- 
fectly holy,  and  yet  has  been  tempted ;  perfectly 
exalted,  and  yet  has  been  humbled,  and  has  even 
suffered  and  died  for  man !  The  great  want  of 


BENEFITS    OF    THE    BIBLE.  323 

the  soul  is  a  Mediator;  and  the  great  object  of 
the  Bible  is  to  produce  a  universal  worship  of 
God  in  Christ. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  great  object  of  the 
apostles  was  to  produce  faith  in  Christ.  A  be- 
lief in  the  Messiahship,  or,  what  is  the  same 
thing,  in  the  divine  mediatorial  character  of 
Christ,  is  the  first  condition  of  salvation  to  all 
who  hear  the  gospel.  Believe  in  me,  and  work 
righteousness,  was  the  substance  of  all  of  Christ's 
preaching.  Repent  and  believe  in  Christ,  is  the 
condensation  of  every  apostolic  discourse. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  detail  what  must  be  the 
consequences  of  this  faith.  Men  unconsciously 
imitate  whom  they  worship.  But  Christ  was 
the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily.  He  was  de- 
vout and  pure,  affectionate  and  holy,  and  indig- 
nant at  sin.  None  can  read  the  Scriptures  and 
be  ignorant  of  the  only  perfect  character  ever 
seen  or  portrayed ;  and  no  one  can  rashly  pre- 
sume to  obtain  the  favourable  regard  of  such  a 
Being,  without  an  earnest  effort  to  abandon  sin 
and  obey  the  demands  of  the  moral  law.  The 
slightest  flaw  in  the  character  of  Christ  would 
undermine  and  destroy  the  Bible :  but  there  is 
no  such  flaw ;  and  the  tendency  of  the  worship 
of  Christ  is  to  produce  a  perfect  world. 


324  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

Besides  all  this,  we  must  not  overlook  the 
chief  element  of  the  power  of  the  Bible,  the  effi- 
cacy of  the  Holy  Ghost  promised  to  all  who  be- 
lieve in  Christ,  and  who  strive  to  obey  him. 
"  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  converting  the 
soul ;  the  testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure,  making 
wise  the  simple ;  the  statutes  of  the  Lord  are 
right,  rejoicing  the  heart."  The  Holy  Spirit  is 
the  author  of  the  Bible ;  he  shines  through  it, 
and  blesses  those  who  study  and  obey  it;  and 
that  in  no  common  or  ordinary  sense,  but 
actually  transforms  the  nature,  regenerates  the 
heart,  and  prepares  for  a  holy  heaven. 

It  follows  from  this  that  the  chief  advantages 
of  the  Bible  are  of  an  internal  character,  invisi- 
ble to  the  outward  eye,  inappreciable  by  the 
"  natural  man."  The  signs  of  health  may  be  a 
brightness  of  the  eye,  a  freshness  of  the  com- 
plexion, an  elasticity  of  tread,  and  an  activity 
of  the  body  ;  but  health  itself  is  something  more 
and  deeper  than  these  signs — it  is  the  harmo- 
nious performance  of  all  the  functions  of  all  the 
organs  of  vitality,  giving  rise  to  buoyancy  of 
feelings  and  fulness  of  life.  So  the  outward  in- 
fluence of  the  Bible  is  purity  of  morals,  improve- 
ment of  society,  rectification  of  civil  law,  and  a 
promotion  of  the  worship  of  God  in  Christ ;  but 


BENEFITS    OF    THE    BIBLE.  325 

its  full  effect  is  internal  and  spiritual.  "The 
kingdom  of  God  is  within."  It  is  a  peace  un- 
seen, but  not  unfelt ;  it  is  a  joy  indescribable,  but 
glorious;  it  is  consolation  in  affliction,  support 
in  trials,  forgiveness  to  the  sinner,  sanctifi cation 
to  the  polluted,  happiness  in  death,  and  a  pass- 
port to  heaven.  This,  the  chief  advantage  of 
the  Bible,  I  cannot  describe.  I  can  only  point 
to  it,  and  say  to  the  curious,  Come,  and  see! 
A  pencil  dipped  in  the  colours  of  a  sunset  sky 
could  not  depict  it — it  must  be  felt  to  be  known. 
But  witnesses  of  this  sublime  fact  are  not  want- 
ing. Go  to  that  Christian  widow,  who,  like  the 
widow  of  ]STain,  has  lost  her  only  earthly  hope 
and  support,  and  ask  what  it  is  that  so  strangely 
sustains  her,  and  causes  her  heart  to  smile,  even 
through  her  tears;  and  she  will  tell  you,  The 
religion  of  the  Bible,  the  promises  and  the  Sa- 
viour of  the  Bible.  Go  to  that  dying  saint,  and 
ask  him  what  gives  him  his  unearthly  hope,  and 
sublime  trust  and  joy;  and  he  will  say,  The  re- 
ligion of  the  Bible.  There  are  millions  now 
on  earth  who  would  sooner  sacrifice  all  their 
wealth — yea,  some  of  them  have  no  wealth  but 
that,  and  feel  richer  than  though  they  had  all 
the  world  besides — they  would  surrender  all 
their  earthly  comfort,  and  their  lives  even,  rather 


326  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

than  yield  what  they  have  gained  from  the 
Bible !  This  is  my  own  position,  and,  if  you 
are  Christians,  this  is  yours. 

Which  one  of  us  cannot  say,  I  would  sooner 
die  the  most  painful,  ignominious  death  imagin- 
able, than  yield  what  I  gain  from  the  Bible? 
To  one  who  has  felt  the  saving  power  of  its 
spirit,  and  learned  to  trust  in  its  promises,  to 
give  up  the  Bible  would  be  like  giving  up  his 
only  protection  on  the  wide  ocean ;  it  would  be 
like  blotting  out  the  sun  from  the  heavens,  and 
leave  the  earth  rayless  and  cheerless — a  desolate 
globe  in  a  firmament  of  night!  Nor  are  we 
alone  in  this  feeling.  Millions  have  died  in  the 
same  sentiment,  and  with  their  last  breath  ut- 
tered the  same  testimony — take  what  you  will 
besides,  but  leave  us  the  Saviour  of  which  we 
read  in  the  oracles  of  God. 

Upon  this  subject  it  is  impossible  to  be  extrav- 
agant. Men  often  become  violent  in  their  feel- 
ings, hyperbolical  in  their  language,  upon  many 
of  the  petty  interests  of  earth ;  but  human  vocab- 
ularies do  not  furnish  terms  strong  enough,  and 
the  human  heart  is  not  capable  of  emotion  ade- 
quate to  describe  or  estimate  the  worth  of  the 
word  of  God.  It  is  God's  greatest  gift,  without 
which  all  other  gifts  would  be  nothing — it  is  the 


BENEFITS    OF    THE    BIBLE.  327 

concentration  of  the  wisdom  and  mercy  of  Je- 
hovah. 

There  is  another  thought  worthy  of  attention. 
There  are  many  advantages  growing  out  of  the 
fact  that  the  oracles  of  God  are  given  in  the 
form  of  a  book.  "  Write  the  vision,"  said  God 
to  the  prophet.  Some  believe  in  a  traditional 
revelation,  originally  given  to  man,  who  trans- 
mitted it  orally  to  the  next  generation,  and  they 
to  others.  The  Jews  believed  in  such  a  revela- 
tion in  addition  to  their  sacred  books ;  and  what 
was  the  consequence?  Even  in  the  time  of 
Christ  this  pretended  revelation  was  in  collision 
with  the  true  one ;  and  Christ  truly  said,  "  Ye 
make  void  the  law  of  God  by  your  vain  tradi- 
tions." We  see  the  same  thing  in  the  present 
Popish  Church.  They  believe  in  a  revelation 
orally  transmitted :  and  how  absurd  and  impious 
are  the  dogmas  of  man,  palmed  off  upon  the 
credulity  of  others  as  the  revelations  of  God! 
Who  does  not  see  that  even  if  a  revelation  was 
given  to  man,  and  not  committed  to  paper,  it 
would  be  transformed,  corrupted,  and  coloured 
by  the  impure  mediums  through  which  it  would 
pass  ?  Wine  would  not  be  expected  to  retain  its 
purity  after  passing  through  a  thousand  un- 
washed bottles;  and  who  would  believe  in  a 


328  THE    YOUNG    MAN    ADVISED. 

revelation  conveyed  by  some  of  the  greatest 
monsters  that  ever  trod  the  earth,  who  were 
exposed  also  to  the  strongest  temptations  of 
avarice  and  ambition  to  substitute  their  own 
insane  cravings  for  the  will  of  God  ? 

But  God's  revelation  is  a  book.  Some  have 
even  believed  that  God  invented  alphabetical 
writing  for  this  express  purpose ;  and  that  never 
were  letters  employed  till  Moses  received  the 
ten  commandments  at  Sinai.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
we  know  that  in  the  early  ages  God  employed 
letters  as  a  vehicle  of  his  instruction  to  man. 
Multiplied  copies,  carefully  studied,  cannot  be 
corrupted  or  changed.  The  best  of  men,  when 
excited,  colour  and  change  the  truth  through 
their  own  intensity  of  feeling;  but  the  printed 
page  is  passionless  and  true.  The  page  that  re- 
cords the  crucifixion  of  Christ  is  no  more  excited 
than  the  one  which  relates  his  genealogy. 
Copies  too  may  be  multiplied,  and  men  know 
when  they  receive  it  that  they  have  the  accurate 
word  of  God. 

Behold,  then,  an  instance  of  the  divine  wis- 
dom beaming  from  all  the  works  of  Providence, 
that  his  revelation  should  have  been  in  the  form 
of  a  series  of  books.  Not  only  is  the  revelation 
itself  stamped  with  permanence  more  unyield- 


BENEFITS     OF    THE    BIBLE.  329 

ing  than  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt,  but  the  won- 
derful steam-press,  which  prints  its  thousands  in 
an  hour,  is  converted  into  a  splendid  assistant 
missionary,  to  aid  in  spreading  the  truth  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.  Will  it  ever  be  thus  widely 
known  ?  Will  it  ever  be  the  guide  of  the  world, 
the  great  controller  of  man  ?  History  shall  yet 
solve  the  problem.  That  it  may  govern  our 
own  hearts  and  conduct,  and,  as  speedily  as 
possible,  all  mankind,  should  be  our  prayer  and 
labour. 


THE    END. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


REC'D  LD 
MAY 


IN  STACKS 

SEP  2  7 1962 
RECTO 

OCT  29  125Z 


ICLF  (N) 


LD    FEB12'68 


5PM 


LDSl-lOOfl  7146816)476 


YB  21674 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


